Montclair, N.J. - The Lehman College baseball team slugged 15 hits in a 10-9, 10-inning victory against Montclair State in a game played on Tuesday in New Jersey. Julius Puryear and Carlo Francisco led the team with three hits apiece. Francisco's three hits made him the all-time leader in Lehman College history with 139.
The Lightning strung together three straight hits in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Michael Zerbo singled to center. Puryear followed with a double and runners were on second and third. Mark Vargas drove in Zerbo with a base hit. David Rodriguez brought in Puryear with a sacrifice fly.
The Red Hawks jumped all over Lehman started, Jose Albrincole, scoring 5 times in the first. They led 5-2 after one. Lehman added a run in the third on a Puryear RBI single. They would take the lead with 4 runs in the fourth.
Francisco led off with a double. He scored on a Rob Kiernan single to left. Zerbo followed with an RBI double down the right field line scoring Kiernan and tying the score at 5-5. Puryear and Rodriguez followed with RBI base hits and Lehman led 7-5.
A three-run-homer gave Montclair State in the bottom of the fourth put them back in the lead, 8-7. Lehman would regain the lead in the very next inning. Francisco reached via a single and Vargas was hit by a pitch. Euriel Murray advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Kiernan tied the game with an RBI ground out. Garcia put Lehman ahead after scoring on a passed ball.
Montclair state tied the game with a run in the eighth and neither side scored in the ninth. The game went into extra innings, where Lehman got an unearned run. Murray singled and got to second on a throwing error. Geraldo Rodriguez came in to run for Murray. Kiernan singled and Rodriguez moved to third. He scored on a wild pitch. Rich Frommelt pitched a scoreless tenth inning to seal the 10-9 win and record his third save of the season.
In the win, Jarret Oehler came out of the bullpen to earn the win. He improved to 4-4. The pitcher threw five innings, struck out seven and allowed just one run. Eight different players on the team reached base safely.
The team improved to 13-14 overall. The team returns to action on Wednesday, April 18, when they host Farmingdale State at 4PM.
