Bronx, N.Y. – People on campus who glanced at the scoreboard on the South Field on Friday might have thought Lehman got a football team, but it was the baseball team that opened the home portion of the schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Maine Presque Isle. The CUNYAC doubleheader went to the Lightning by scores of 18-12 and 17-6.
Lehman led 11-0 in just three innings of game one. They got four runs in the first, four more in the second and three in the third. Carlo Francisco slugged his team-best third home run of the year and drove in three to account for three of the runs in the first. Mark Vargas scored the fourth run on an error.
In the second, Francisco doubled home two more, while Vargas connected on the long ball. Francisco ended up going 4-5 with 6 RBI in the game. Lehman's three runs in the third came on RBI base hits from Anthony Riley and Julius Puryear and another two-bagger from Francisco.
The Owls finally got on the board in the top of the fourth, scoring three times to make the score 11-3. Lehman responded with four runs in their half of the inning, making the score 15-3. The runs came on a Sal Ventola play and a two-run-homer from Puryear.
Maine would score nine more runs in the next two innings to pull within 15-12. However, Lehman secured the game with three runs in the sixth. Michael Zerbo singled in a run, and Vargas drove in a pair with a double.
Puryear scored five runs, while Natanael Toribio collected four hits. Jarret Oehler struck out seven in four innings of work to earn the win.
Lehman took a 2-0 lead in game two on a two-run blast from Francisco. The homer was his fourth of the year. The Owls got one back in the third to make the score 2-1, but the Lightning responded with seven runs in the bottom of the frame. Francisco, Vargas, Toribio and Namir Garcia each had RBI doubles, David Rodriguez drove in a run with a base hit and Puryear drove in a pair with a two base hit. Lehman sent 12 batters to the plate that inning and led 9-1.
The bats kept up in the fourth as a Toribio homer made the score 11-2. Euriel Murray connected on an RBI single. Zerbo drove in a pair and Toribio collected another RBI on a base hit. The Lightning led 17-2 after four innings. The final score was 17-6, Lehman.
Jose Albrincole tossed a complete game two in the rubber match to earn the win. He struck out eight in seven innings of work.
The Lehman College baseball team returns to action on Saturday, March 17 when they host SUNY Purchase in a doubleheader. The first game is slated for 11AM.
