BRONX, N.Y. – The Lehman College baseball team dropped a hard-fought CUNY Athletic Conference game to the College of Staten Island, 6-5, on Thursday evening. The Lightning were up by a run going into the top of the ninth, but the Dolphins were able to score two runs in their final at bat to win the game.

With the score tied at four runs apiece, Lehman (1-12, 0-2 CUNYAC) scored an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Lightning had runners on first and second with one out when Tom Liang (Bronx, N.Y./Manhattan Center) connected on a single to load the bases. Two batters later, junior catcher Jaime Maldonado (Tuckahoe, N.Y./Tuckahoe) hit the ball off the end of the bat, which pushed between the pitcher and the first baseman for an infield single, scoring freshman third baseman Thomas Montilli (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman), giving Lehman a 5-4 lead.

Senior Michael Liang (Bronx, N.Y./Manhattan Center) came in to pitch the ninth inning, and yielded a pair of runs to Staten Island (8-7, 3-1 CUNYAC), as the visiting Dolphins swept the two-game series.

Lehman scored single runs in the first, third, fourth, and sixth innings in support of junior starting pitcher Wilfredo Gonzalez (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond's), who took a no decision. Gonzalez gave up four earned runs in 8.0 innings, walking two while fanning three.

The Lightning were able to grab the lead early as Michael Liang connected on an RBI single to score senior outfielder Kevin Hernandez (Bronx, N.Y./DeWitt Clinton) in the bottom of the first.  In the fourth inning, Michael Liang earned his second run batted in of the game, via a sacrifice fly, scoring Montilli.

In the fifth inning, with runners on second and third and nobody out, Maldonado hit a ground ball to second base, scoring Tom Liang.

Junior first basemen Carlos Alcantara (Yonkers, N.Y./Saunders) came up in the bottom of the sixth inning, with Michael Liang on third and nobody out, and ripped a single into centerfield to drive in Liang.

For the game, Montilli had three hits, including two doubles, and scored twice. Maldonado and Michael Liang each had a pair of RBI.

Lehman will return to CUNYAC action on Saturday, April 5, for a doubleheader at John Jay College, beginning at 12:00 p.m. The games will be played at Lehman, with John Jay as the home team.