From St. Joseph’s College, Clinton Hill
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The St. Joseph’s College (Brooklyn) baseball team was held to two hits and suffered their first defeat of the double-elimination United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Small College World Series falling to No. 2 Lindenwood University Belleville, 2-0, on Tuesday evening at Lenz Field.
The Bears (29-10) fall into the losers bracket of the tournament and await the winner of No. 8 Victory University/No. 9 Rochester College in a losers bracket quarterfinal tomorrow at 9 a.m. The Lynx (36-14) advance to the winners bracket semifinal against No. 4 Apprentice tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Freshman Mitch Brigando (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) got the start on the mound and went the distance striking out a career-best five and walked one, but took the hard-luck loss to fall to 3-2 on the season.
The Bears threatened to score first in the third placing runners on second and third with one out after a Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside) single and Michael Camerada (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) walk started the frame and Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) successfully sacrificed them over, but both were left standing in scoring position after two fly outs.
The Lynx produced the game’s only runs in the home half of the third off back-to-back extra-base hits. Kyle Forsythe – who finished the game 3-for-3 – drove in the game winner with a triple to the right field corner and scored himself on a Vince Anello double.
Camerada knocked a two-out hit in the fifth starting a mini threat with McKenna following with a walk, but that would be the last Bear to reach scoring position. The Bears could only muster a walk in the sixth and seventh with the Lynx defense making two great plays in the outfield to preserve the two-hit shutout for Michael Sabatino who struck out one and walked four.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The top of the Lynx lineup did all the damage with the one through four hitters knocking all seven hits off Brigando.
The bottom of the Bears lineup accounted for both hits – Rapp and Camerada both knocking singles.
McKenna, Anthony DeFillippo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian), Joe Mendez (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) drew walks and were the other Bears to reach base safely.
The game was played at a swift pace lasting an hour and a half.
THE BEAR FACTS
It was the first meeting between the two schools.
Rapp and Camerada both extend their hitting streaks to a team-best seven games.
Brigando’s five strikeouts matches his previous best, set twice previously.
NEXT UP FOR THE BEARS
The Bears will now face the winner of No. 9 Rochester College vs. No. 8 Victory University in a losers bracket quarterfinal currently scheduled for Wednesday, May 14 at 10 a.m. EST. Game times and field location are still subject to change with wet weather affecting field conditions at Chamberlain Ballpark.
Visit SJCBears.com for schedule updates or follow @SJCBears on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates.
