Rams Split with St. Joseph's on Zilnicki's Extra Inning Single
Game 1: St. Joseph's - 4, Farmingdale State - 0
Game 2: Farmingdale State - 4, St. Joseph's - 3 (9 inn.)
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State baseball team
split a conference doubleheader with St. Joseph's this afternoon in
Farmingdale, N.Y. The Rams were outscored, 4-0, in the first game.
In the second, Farmingdale rallied in a late inning comeback to
force extra innings. Freshman third baseman David Zilnicki
(Riverhead, N.Y. / Riverhead) put a single over the right fielder's
head to score the game-winning run for the Rams in the bottom of
the ninth.
In the first game, Farmingdale gave up two unearned runs in the
sixth inning. Those two runs would prove to be enough as sophomore
starting pitcher Jason Dierkes (Mt. Siani, N.Y./Mt. Siani) pitched
a complete game shutout for the Golden Eagles, striking out six
batters and allowing just six hits. St. Joseph's added an insurance
run in both the eight and ninth innings. Sophmore shortstop James
Carey (Patchogue, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) went 2-for-5 with two
RBIs, while freshman center fielder Brian Hanningan (West Babylon,
N.Y./St. John the Baptist) was 2-for-3 with a double and one run
batted in.
St. Joseph's scored first in the second game of the day. In the
fifth inning, sophomore right fielder Prateek Thaman (Hauppauge,
N.Y./Hauppauge) doubled down the right field line scoring two
Golden Eagles. Thaman would come around to score on a wild pitch to
put St. Joseph's up, 3-0.
In the bottom of the same frame, Zilnicki got the Rams their first
run of the day with a one-out single up the middle. Farmingdale
tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on a botched fielder's
choice at second base, scoring two unearned runs. With the game
tied, 3-3, the teams would go the next two and a half innings
scoreless. In the bottom of the ninth, junior right fielder Matt
Weingartner (Westbury, N.Y./W.T. Clarke) beat out a ground ball
for a lead-off infield base hit. Weingartner advanced to second on
a sacrifice bunt and to third on a ground out. Zilnicki then lofted
a two-out hit over the right fielder, scoring Weingartner from
third base for the 4-3 win.
Senior right hander Steve King
(Freeport, N.Y./Freeport) earned the win in relief for the Rams,
pitching 4.2 innings with five strikeouts, two hits and no walks.
Senior left hander Ian Solomon
(Northport, N.Y./Northport) struck out eight batters over the first
4.1 innings.
Farmingdale State will host Skyline Conference opponent Maritime
College tomorrow at Noon in a doubleheader in Farmingdale, N.Y.