BRONX, N.Y. – The Lehman College baseball team split both ends of a key CUNY Athletic Conference doubleheader, with the City College of New York, on the South Field on Saturday afternoon. Lehman won Game One, 6-5, but fell short in a wild second game, 13-12, in extra innings.

In the opening game, senior pitcher Stephen Smith (Yonkers, N.Y./Saunders) earned the victory, going 6.1 innings, giving up three earned runs, and striking out 11 batters in a gutsy performance.

With Lehman trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first, senior outfielder Danny Rodriguez (New York, N.Y./Pennsbury) doubled to right field, sending freshman outfielder Miguel Rodriguez (Santiago, D.R./H.S. of World Cultures) to third. Senior shortstop Jhon Comas (Yonkers, N.Y./Gregorio Luperon) drove in both runners, on a single to right field, to give Lehman the lead.

The Lightning were able to extend the advantage to 4-2, thanks to an RBI single off the bat of sophomore catcher Matthew Prevosti (Staten Island, N.Y./CSI H.S.).

CCNY pulled to within a run, but in the bottom of the fifth, Lehman added insurance, thanks to solo home runs by Comas and Smith, to make it 6-3 in favor of the Lightning.

The Beavers tacked on two runs in the top of the seventh to shrink Lehman's lead to 6-5. However, sophomore pitcher Francisco Pena (New York, N.Y./Landmark) was able to strike out the last batter of the game, to pick up his first save of the year, and Lehman's sixth win in a row.

For the game, Comas went 3-for-3 with three runs batted in, two runs scored, a solo home run, and a stolen base.

The second game was a wild affair. The Lightning (8-11, 3-3 CUNYAC) trailed 6-1, but scored five runs in the home half of the fifth to tie it up. During that inning, Smith produced an RBI single, while Prevosti drove in two runs on a base hit to even the game at six.

The Beavers (11-8, 3-3 CUNYAC) produced two runs in the next frame to retake the lead. In the home half of the sixth, the Lightning scored four more runs, highlighted by a mammoth three-run homer off the bat of freshman third baseman Christopher Lopez (Bronx, N.Y./Lehman H.S.), that cleared the scoreboard and gave Lehman a 9-8 lead. Smith added an RBI single in the frame to put Lehman up by two runs.

In the top of the seventh, Lehman was hanging on to a 10-9 lead, with two outs. The Beavers were able to score three more runs to take the lead, 12-9, and complete the four-run inning. In the bottom half of the seventh, it was Lehman's turn to rally with two outs, as Smith produced a single to center, scoring Comas and Danny Rodriguez, to tie the game at 12.

The game would move on to extra innings. In the top of the eight, the Beavers scored a run, on an error behind the plate, to take a 13-12 lead.

In the home half of the eight, Lehman was in position for another rally, having runners on first and second, with one out. This time the Beavers were able to prevent Lehman from scoring, as Comas lined out to first, and Lopez struck out swinging to end the game.

Smith went 3-for-4 with four more runs batted in, two runs scored, and stole a base. Danny Rodriguez went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a walk. Senior first baseman Carlos Alcantara (Yonkers, N.Y./Saunders) reached base four times, including a double, while driving in one run and scoring twice.

Pena started the game, giving up six earned runs in 4.2 inning pitched. Prevosti took the loss on the mound, but gave up no earned runs in 1.1 innings of relief.

The Lightning will return to the South Field on Tuesday, for a non-conference game against Yeshiva University, beginning at 5:00 p.m.