Game 1: Farmingdale State - 3, Purchase - 2
Game 2: Purchase - 10, Farmingdale State - 6
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The Farmingdale State baseball team split a Skyline Conference doubleheader with Purchase College on Sunday afternoon. Farmingdale State won the first game, 3-2, to set up a battle for the final playoff spot in game two, but the Panthers earned a 10-6 victory to snag the last spot of the Skyline Conference Championship. The Rams finish the 2023 season with a record of 17-18 overall and 9-11 conference play.
It was senior day at Farmingdale State as designated hitter/catcher Brad Sakellarides (East Moriches, N.Y.), pitcher Kevin Primm (Massapequa, N.Y.), third baseman Nolan White (Miller Place, N.Y.), catcher Louis Annunziata (Howard Beach, N.Y.), right fielder Bobby Pollock (Manorville, N.Y.) and pitcher Stephen Clancy (Mineola, N.Y.) were each honored in between games.
The first game remained 0-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning as FSC senior Johnny Dougherty (Kings Park, N.Y.) and PC junior Myles Scarry tossed scoreless innings.
In the sixth, freshman center fielder Ryan Wasserman (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) and sophomore second baseman Chris McGuggart (Bethpage, N.Y.) reached on a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Pollock followed with a sacrifice bunt, but a throwing error on the play allowed both FSC runs to score and put the Rams ahead 2-0. Later in the inning, Pollock was on third base for a suicide squeeze, and despite a missed bunt attempt, he stole home to give FSC a 3-0 advantage.
The Panthers (20-19, 11-9 Skyline) scored a pair of unearned runs on a ground out and a single in the top of the seventh as Farmingdale State held on for the 3-2 victory.
Dougherty (W, 5-2) earned the complete game victory tossing seven innings with six strikeouts and no earned runs.
McGuggart had a hit and a run scored, while Wasserman and Pollock had one run scored apiece. Junior designated hitter Daniel Deutsch (Northport, N.Y.), White and Annunziata each had a hit in the win.
For Purchase, catcher Frank Rega was 3-for-3 with a run scored.
In the second game, FSC led 3-1 behind a two-run home run from Pollock in the first and an RBI ground out by sophomore shortstop Patrick Dallas (Patchogue, N.Y.) in the second.
Purchase grabbed the lead, 5-3, in the top of the third with four runs on four hits.
After a scoreless bottom of the third, the Panthers scored three more times in the fourth to take an 8-3 advantage.
The Rams got one back in the bottom of the third on a home run to left field by Annunziata to cut their deficit to 8-4.
In the sixth, Annunziata drove in a run on a double to close the gap to three at 8-5.
Following a scoreless seventh inning, Purchase scored on a sacrifice bunt in the eighth and plated one more in the ninth on an RBI single.
FSC trailed 10-5 in the bottom of the ninth and used a single by Annunziata, wild pitch and pinch-hit RBI single by sophomore Justin DiMartino (Bethpage, N.Y.) to close within four. After a hit-by-pitch put runners on first and second with one out, Purchase closer Jemal Betances came in and forced a foul out and a line out to secure his seventh save of the year and the 10-6 victory.
Annunziata was a triple away from the cycle as he had three hits, a home run, double, two runs batted in and three runs scored. Deutsch finished with three hits, a double and a run scored, while Pollock had a home run and two runs batted in. McGuggart added two hits and one run scored in defeat.
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