Baseball Defeated Twice Against SUNY Purchase In Season-Opening Twinbill

Chester, NY --- The Worcester State baseball team dropped their first two games of the season in a pair of nine-inning double-headers against SUNY Purchase yesterday afternoon at Rock Sports Park.

The Lancers (0-2) were defeated 12-4 in the opener before the Panthers (2-4) edged WSU, 14-13, in 11 innings in the nightcap.

Worcester State took the 4-0 lead after two innings of play when junior Kurt Sabacinski (Worcester, MA/St. Peter-Marian) doubled in runs in both frames while senior Joe Piscitelli (Oxford, MA) and first-year Brian O'Connor (W. Boylston, MA) chipped in with RBIs.

After SUNY Purchase scored five times in the top of the third, the Blue and Gold took back the 6-5 advantage with a sac-fly by O'Connor and a bunt RBI single by freshman Nicholas Gikas (Danvers, MA).

The Panthers continued to rough up starter Nick Bonofiglio (Worcester, MA/St. John's) with three runs in the top of the fourth, but the Lancers would rally one again and knot the score 8-8 on back-to-back plated base-knocks by freshman teammates Jeff Bolio (Oxford, MA) and David Ruggiero (Peabody, MA).

In the top of the eighth, SUNY Purchase took the 10-8 edge as they took advantage of a pair of walks and they looked poised to add to their lead with the bases juiced, but first-year Joe Perlak (Chicopee, MA) got a strike-out and induced a pair of groundouts to end the frame.

With momentum on their side, WSU knotted the game 10-10 in the bottom of the inning when Piscitelli tripped in sophomore Joesph Carlier (Rockland, MA) and Piscetelli came around to score on an O'Connor RBI single.

The Panthers took the one-run lead into the top of the tenth before the Lancers came back to equal the score an unearned run on a fielding error.

SUNY Purchase then made four more trips to the plate for the 14-11 advantage heading into the bottom of the 11th. After WSU walked the bases loaded to start off the frame, O'Connor and junior Sam Duford (Dighton, MA) notched RBIs, but senior Kevin McWade (Mamaroneck, NY) ended the contest with a ground-out to end the inning for his first save of the season.

Bonofiglio would only go 3 2/3 innings in his season debut giving up eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Freshman Eric Perez (Springfield, MA) shouldered the loss as he allowed the three go-ahead runs score.

For the Panthers, junior Christopher Nash (Pound Ridge, NY) picked up the win in relief.

Worcester State finished with the slight 17-16 edge in base-knocks and both sides used six pitchers apiece in the slugfest.

O'Connor finished with four RBIs and Ruggerio was 4-for-6 with four singles. Picitelli and Carlier came across home plate three times as Bolio and Sabacinski both tallied two doubles each.

In the opener, the Lancers snapped a scoreless game by making the score 2-0 in the top of the third on two-run single by O'Connor.

The home team would come back in a big way as they doubled up the score with the 4-2 lead after five full innings.

WSU got a run back on an RBI single by Bonofiglio, but senior Chris Carboni (Stratford, CT) was too good as he would set-down the next six men and give his squad a chance to extend their lead.

SUNY Purchase would score twice more in the bottom of the sixth before opening up the game with a five-run eighth highlighted by a bases-clearing double by junior Phil Georges (Brooklyn, NY).

The Lancers touched up Carboni for one more run in the top of the ninth on a plated run by sophomore Cory Loomer (Shrewsbury, MA), but that was the lone blemish in the frame.

Carboni evened up his record on the season (1-1) as he went the distance yielding four runs (three earned) on five hits with one punch out and one walk.

Junior transfer Alex Teal (Malden, MA) absorbed the setback in his first start of the season. He would go the first five innings giving up four earned runs on four hits as he fanned four and issued four free passes.

There were no multi-hitters in the opening game as O'Connor would drive in two for six RBIs on the day in his first career start in right field.

Worcester State will take on in a pair of nine-inning double headers next Saturday against Bates at Darien High School in Conneticut while the Panthers waste no time in their next affair as they open Skyline Conference play with Yeshiva in a twinbill tomorrow.

Both affairs will start at high noon.