Apr. 16, 2011

Box Score Gm. 1
Box Score Gm. 2

On a rainy Saturday afternoon in the Bronx, the Lehman baseball team saw its hopes for entry into the CUNYAC Championships take a major hit after losing both ends of a doubleheader to visiting Baruch, 8-3 and 3-2, to fall to 3-7 in the City University of New York Athletic Conference.

Both Lehman and City College of New York have three conference wins with the Beavers still to play the College of Staten Island and John Jay. Just one win by CCNY would eliminate the Lightning.

In the first game, Lightning starter Arturo Lazaro did everything he could to keep Lehman in the hunt, limiting the Bearcats to single runs in the first, third and fourth. Freshman Christian Fadul's booming RBI double in the third scored Onix Mejia to account for the Lightning's only run entering what proved to be the decisive sixth inning.

After Lazaro nailed down the first two outs of the inning, Marcos Mejia coaxed a walk out of the Lightning hurler. He then promptly stole second and moved to third on a balk by Lazaro. The next batter, Ovalles, was then hit by a pitch to put runners at first and third. Trying to pick Ovalles off first, Lazaro misfired to first baseman Justin Moises, allowing Mejia to trot home and Ovalles to advance to second. Ovalles then came around to score when Pooti Ben Pradubsri's single to left was misplayed by Jeremy Lopez.

The play proved to be the end of the day for Lazaro, who was replaced by Denis Schwuchow. Manuel Guerrero greeted the new Lightning pitcher rudely, slamming a single up the middle to plate the final run of the inning for Baruch as Pradubsri scored.

Trailing 6-1 in its half of the sixth, Lehman cut into the lead on an RBI double by Jhon Comas Disla and had a chance to do further damage. However, Baruch's Jesus Izarra registered his 11th and 12th strikeouts of the game by fanning Raul Cordero and Michael Liang with runners on second and third to end the threat with Baruch up 6-2. Izarra would finish with 14 strikeouts on the day.

Baruch tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh before Lehman pushed across a run in the bottom half for the final 8-3 margin.

Still firmly in the hunt for a postseason spot despite the game one loss, Lehman turned to ace Brian Cubero in game two hoping for the split.

With its season essentially on the line, the Lightning watched as Baruch jumped in front with an unearned run in the second inning. But Cubero buckled down over the next two innings and navigated through potential trouble in the third and fourth, stranding three runners with an assist from catcher George Flores, who picked Robert Melendez off second in the third and then gunned down Mejia trying to steal third in the fourth.

In its half of the fourth, Lehman took the lead on an RBI double by Flores and a run scoring base hit from Cordero.

Baruch once again put pressure on Cubero in the fifth, loading the bases with only one out on a double by Yuksekol, a walk by Thomas Daly and a single by Mata. Cubero reared back to strike out Anthony Melendez, but could not get out of the inning unscathed as Mejia slapped a single through the left side to score Yuksekol and Daly and retake the lead, 3-2, for the Bearcats.

Amidst an intensifying rain, Lehman staged one last rally, putting two on with one out on walks by Mejia and Jeremy Lopez. The Bearcats then replaced a tiring Kellin Bliss with hard thrower Ryan McGurie who proceeded to strike out Fadul and Comas-Disla to end the threat and as it turned out, the game, as umpires called the action following Baruch's half of the sixth inning.

Both Lazaro and Cubero were hard luck losers on the day for Lehman. Jeremy Lopez went 3-for-6 with an RBI in the two games, while Flores was the only other Lightning player with multiple hits, going 2-for-5.

With the wet weather having cancelled Sunday's scheduled finale between Lehman and Baruch, the Lightning doesn't return to action until Tuesday when it travels to New Jersey to take on Rutgers-Newark.