Apr. 9, 2011

Box Score Gm. 1
Box Score Gm. 2

As Raymie Fernandez rounded the bases after cracking a go-ahead, three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to put the visiting City College of New York Beavers ahead 4-3, all signs pointed to the Lightning's 11-game losing streak continuing in heartbreaking fashion.

That Fernandez's shot to left field came after Cubero had cruised through the first four innings was even more of a body blow.

That it came with two outs in the inning? Just plain cruel.

However, several times this year, the Lightning has shown a flair for the dramatic, and Saturday afternoon was no different as Cubero's teammates proved to be a resilient bunch, bouncing back in their half of the fifth.

Jeremy Lopez led off the inning with a single and then promptly stole second. After Christian Fadul struck out swinging, the Beavers bucked conventional wisdom by walking Lehman's No. 3 hitter, Jhon Comas Disla, to get to clean up man, George Flores. Before Flores could fully dig in, Fadul and Comas Disla engineered a double steal to set the table for the Lehman catcher.

The sophomore backstop promptly made CCNY pay, lining a single through the left side to plate Fadul and Comas Disla and regain the lead for the Lightning. Freshman Michael Liang eventually drove in Flores with the third run of the inning before the Lightning was retired.

But the Beavers were able to creep closer once again, this time without the benefit of a hit, as freshman Michael Smith started the sixth inning by getting aboard when Cubero, trying to beat a hustling Smith to the first base bag, couldn't handle a flip from first baseman Justin Moises for an error. Smith would come around to score on a ground out by Paul Rojas to pull CCNY within one run.

In its half of the sixth, the Lightning regained a two-run cushion thanks to Fadul's RBI-single that drove in David Gaffney.

Now leading 7-5, Lightning skipper John Foster made the decision to send Cubero back out to try and shut the door. Cubero quickly got two outs, striking out Daniel Perez to start the inning – his 11th punchout of the game – and Andrew inducing Romanella to fly out, while throwing in a walk to Chris Lounsbury in between.

Fernandez then smashed a single off Gaffney at third base, which caromed to Comas Disla at short. In his haste to try and nail Fernandez at first, Comas Disla uncorked a wild throw, allowing Lounsbury to move to third. An error by Gaffney followed allowing Lounsbury to score and cut the CCNY deficit back to one. Next came a walk to CCNY's clean up hitter, Smith, leaving Cubero with no place to put the next batter Henry Loehrke, who already had driven in a run earlier in the game.

Cubero buckled down, though, getting the Beavers' sophomore to fly out to Lopez to end the game, earn the 7-6 win, and break the team's losing streak.

Aside from Cubero's gutty effort, Lehman received a 3-for-3 day from Comas Disla and two hits a piece from Flores, Lopez and Liang.

Lehman looked like it might sustain the momentum of the first game through the second as it scored three runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI hit by George Flores and a two-run rocket double to left by Liang.

CCNY, though, would post four runs over the next two innings to take a 5-3 lead before breaking the game open in the sixth with five more runs, two of which came on Hernandez's second home run of the day, on its way to the 11-3 victory.

Flores continued his hot hitting for the Lightning, collecting two more hits in the loss.

Following the split, Lehman now sits at 5-15, 3-5 in the conference, before finishing up the weekend series with CCNY on Sunday afternoon.