Baruch Beats Mitchell for CUNYAC Baseball Championship
Brooklyn, N.Y. - Top-seeded Baruch College scored two runs in its final at-bat defeating Mitchell College to win the 2009 CUNY Athletic Conference Baseball Championship 6-5 on Saturday afternoon at Keyspan Park. It is the Bearcats second tournament title, having captured the 2001 crown with a 5-3 win over the College of Staten Island.
"It has been a long time since we have won this [2001] championship," said Baruch interim head coach Jefferson Infante. "We have a good group of guys that played their hearts out and deserved to win."
Bearcat junior David Chestnut was named the Most Valuable Player of the Championship. The Brooklyn native tossed a complete game five-hitter to win the opening game of the tournament, 9-1 over Mitchell on Thursday. At the plate he was 4-11 with two runs and two RBI.
"I tip my hat to Mitchell, as they had allowed us only one hit through seven innings," said Chestnut. "We really had to grind it out today. We were patient and were able to capitalize on the chances that we had."
The Bearcats scored twice in both the eighth and ninth innings to rally from behind for the win. Joseph Valentin, the Con Edison Player of the Game, gets credit for the game-winning RBI earning a bases loaded walk from Cody Faddis (Muskogee, Okla.), scoring Thomas Daly and setting off the on-field celebration for the Bearcats.
Ethan Graynor (Leonia, N.J.), who pitched two-thirds of an inning, walked Mejia to start the ninth inning, and then stole second. Benjamin Riofrio dribbled a ball down the third base line, and when the ball kicked past the third baseman, Mejia tried to score, but was tagged out at the plate. Thomas Daly followed with a double to center, scoring Riofrio to tie the game, and set up the dramatic conclusion.
Mitchell had retaken the lead in the top of the ninth, 5-4, as Jeffrey Perillo (Newington, Conn.) walked and advanced to second on a ground out. Jared Bishop (Moodus, Conn.) flared a ball in front of charging Bearcat center fielder Marcos Mejia to score the go ahead run.
Mitchell wasted no time in getting on the board, taking a 1-0 lead as Clayton Boegler (Somerset, Mass.) scored on a throwing error. Boegler and Graynor had RBI singles in the third to give the Mariners a 3-0 lead, before starting pitcher Paul Martinez (New London, Conn.) drove in a run in the fourth, for a 4-0 lead.
Baruch began its comeback in the bottom half of the fourth inning, as its first hit of the game, off the bat of Joseph Valentin, plated Jorge Rosado. John Avona followed with a ground ball to second that scored David Chestnut, to cut the deficit to 4-2.
The Bearcats tied the game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth-inning as Rosado singled to right with one out. He stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the Mariners catcher Matthew Radke (Terryville, Conn.) and scored on a wild pitch. Chestnut would reach on an error in the next at-bat, stole second and scored on a single by Avona to the shortstop.
Kehoe earned the win for Baruch, tossing 3.2 innings, and along one run on one hit. Kellin Bliss started for the Bearcats, throwing 5.1 innings, allowing four runs, three earned on seven hits.
Matt Osgood (Brookfield, Conn.) took the loss for Mitchell, allowing two runs on two hits in a third of an inning. Martinez received a no decision, pitching 7.1 innings with four runs, two earned, on four hits and fanning five batters.