Game 1: Purchase - 4, Farmingdale State - 3,
Game 2: Farmingdale State - 7, Purchase - 2
Purchase, N.Y. - After falling in the first game 4-3, senior catcher Domenic Palumbo (Old Bethpage, N.Y.) hit two home runs to lead the Farmingdale State baseball team to a 7-2 victory in game two versus Purchase this afternoon. Palumbo is only the third player in school history to hit two home runs in one game.
Trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning of game one, the Rams (12-7, 4-2 Skyline) used a leadoff triple from sophomore right fielder Devin Caybasi (St. James, N.Y.) and an RBI groundout by junior left fielder Anthony Gigante (Bedford Hills, N.Y.) to close within one. Just two batters later, sophomore designated hitter Vincent Rice (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) hit a solo home run to knot the game at 2-2.
Still tied in the bottom of the eighth, three straight walks set up bases loaded and no one out for the Panthers (12-11, 4-4 Skyline). Freshman pitcher Jake Jacobs (Commack, N.Y.) entered the game and struck out the first batter he faced before allowing a two-run single to right center by sophomore third baseman Patrick Wallace (Manorville, N.Y.) to give Purchase a 4-2 lead heading into the top of the ninth.
FSC junior shortstop Shawn Blasberg (Sound Beach, N.Y.) led off the ninth with a walk. After a strikeout, sophomore Tyler Schrimpf (Miller Place, N.Y.) pinch-hit and hit an RBI double to bring home Blaseberg to cut the deficit to one. With two outs, Schrmipf would reach third base on a passed ball but senior pitcher Jonathon Deacon (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) forced senior catcher Kenneth Johntry (Yaphank, N.Y.) to ground out to third to end the game and secure the 4-3 victory.
The Rams were led by Rice's two hits, including his solo home run. Caybasi and Blasberg each finished with one hit, a walk and a run scored in the loss.
Wallace was 1-for-4 with the game-winning two-run single, while freshman left fielder Dylan Flynn (Smithtown, N.Y.) ended 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI.
Deacon improved to 5-0 on the season, pitching a complete game and only allowing seven hits. FSC sophomore Joe Marino (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) (2-2) struck out six over four innings in relief, but was tabbed with the loss as he allowed one earned run.
Farmingdale State got on the board in the second inning of game two as Palumbo hit his first home run of the game to give the Rams a 1-0 lead.
FSC extended their lead to 3-0 in the third and made it 4-0 in the fourth on Palumbo's second solo home run of the game.
With runners on second and third in the fifth, a wild pitch allowed Schrimpf to score from third before an RBI single by sophomore first baseman Ernie Geraci (East Moriches, N.Y.) drove home Rice to bring the Rams advantage to 6-0.
Purchase was only able to score a pair of runs over the final two innings as FSC won game two, 7-2.
Along with Palumbo's two home runs, Gigante was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and Rice finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in the second game.
Junior Matthew Constantine (West Babylon, N.Y.) (2-0) pitched 6.1 innings for the Rams and struck out three to earn the game two win.
Junior first baseman Brian Cunningham (Westbury, N.Y.) (3-for-4) and Flynn (2-for-3) combined for five of the Panthers seven hits in the loss.
Farmingdale State next will host Skyline opponent Old Westbury for a doubleheader on Sunday, April 8th starting at noon.
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