Game 1: Farmingdale State - 7, Purchase - 2
Game 2: Farmingdale State - 8, Purchase - 2
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State baseball team capped off a perfect 4-0 weekend with another Skyline Conference sweep this afternoon. FSC improved to 24-6 on the season and 13-1 in conference play with a pair of home wins over Purchase. The Rams won the first game, 7-2, and earned an 8-2 victory in the second game.
Farmingdale State recorded their first hit of the first game in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore catcher Michael Amandola (North Babylon, N.Y.) hit a liner up the middle that the Purchase centerfielder dove for and missed. The ball rolled all the way to the wall where right fielder Nick Lasala (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) picked it up and quickly threw it to the cut off man. Purchase threw the ball home and was able to get Amandola out at the plate as he was trying for the inside-the-park homerun.
The Panthers (14-13, 5-7 Skyline) loaded the bases with two out in the top of the third, but Rams' junior pitcher Nicholas Rooney (Ridge, N.Y.) was able to force a groundout to third to end the threat.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth. Amandola led off the inning with a double and sophomore designated hitter Ryan DePalma (Albertson, N.Y.) followed with a single and moved to second on a stolen base. Senior shortstop Shawn Blasberg (Sound Beach, N.Y.) and junior second baseman Tyler Schrimpf (Miller Place, N.Y.) were the next two batters and both used a suicide squeeze, sacrifice bunt to drive in runs and put FSC ahead, 2-0.
After the Panthers scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh to close within just one, the Rams used three straight one-out singles by Amandola, DePalma and Blasberg in the bottom of the inning to regain a two-run advantage. The next batter, Schrimpf, reached on an error, sacrifice bunt to load the bases before freshman Patrick Leach (Rockville Center, N.Y.) pinch-hit two batters later and tallied a grand slam over the left-center field wall to put Farmingdale State ahead, 7-1.
With the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, Purchase freshman shortstop James Shea (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit an RBI single to center field to cut their deficit to five. FSC senior pitcher Matthew Constantine (West Babylon, N.Y.) entered the game and recorded the next two outs to seal the 7-2 game one victory and pick up his first save of the season.
Amandola finished just a homerun shy of the cycle as he went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and two runs scored. Leach recorded the grand slam in his only at-bat for four runs batted in, while Blasberg was 1-for-1 with two sac hits and two runs batted in. DePalma tallied three singles, a stolen base and two runs scored in the win.
Rooney (W, 3-0) earned the victory after throwing 6.1 innings on the mound and allowing just one run and two hits.
For Purchase, sophomore second baseman Dylan Flynn (Hauppauge, N.Y.) went 3-for-4 with a walk.
The Rams started quickly in the second game as Leach led off the bottom of the first with a walk and was immediately driven in on a double by senior third baseman Jason Conti (Mount Sinai, N.Y.). After a failed pick off attempt by the Panthers allowed Conti to reach third, junior first baseman Steven Burke (North Babylon, N.Y.) recorded sacrifice fly to put Farmingdale State up, 2-0.
In the bottom of the third, Burke and junior right fielder Vincent Rice (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) hit back-to-back one out singles. Two batters later, DePalma recorded a two-run double over the right fielder's head to put FSC in front, 4-0.
Panthers' sophomore left fielder Matthew Nilsen (Bellmore, N.Y.) answered in the top of the fourth inning as he tallied a two-out, two-run single to cut their deficit in half at 4-2.
Purchase threatened in the top of the fifth inning as they loaded the bases with two outs. Constantine entered the game and forced the next batter to ground out to second base to get out of the jam and maintain the two-run lead.
The Rams extended their advantage to five with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. DePalma drove in a run after being hit by pitch with the bases loaded before junior left fielder Vincent Napolitano (Bellmore, N.Y.) hit a two-run single through the left side.
Constantine (W, 6-1) pitched a 1-2-3 top of the sixth inning before the Rams added a run in the bottom of the inning to take an 8-2 lead.
Junior pitcher Anthony Visconte (East Islip, N.Y.) threw a scoreless top of the seventh as the Rams went on for the 8-2 victory in game two.
Rice reached base four times as he was 3-for-3 with an intentional walk to go along with two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. DePalma recorded a double and three RBI's, while both Burke and Napolitano had one hit and two runs batted in apiece. Sophomore center fielder Cam Alfano (Yaphank, N.Y.) tallied two hits and two runs scored off the bench in the win.
The Rams next travel to SUNY Maritime College for a conference DH on Saturday, April 20th at noon.
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