HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 4, 2010) – Senior Mark Rasulo of the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team, set the Ducks' single-season doubles record in a 21-12 victory over John Jay College in Hoboken, N.J. The Irvington, N.Y. native now has 18 doubles on the season, surpassing former Duck Adam Sandt's mark of 17 set in 2005. The Ducks, who face SUNY Old Westbury on Thursday, May 6, improved to 17-18 overall on the year, while the Bloodhounds fell to 11-30 on the season.
John Jay senior Edwin Hernandez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) got things started for the Bloodhounds in the first, with a single to center. Stevens starter Chris Tucci picked off Hernandez trying to steal second, but freshman Nick Catalano (Staten Island, N.Y.) singled to the pitcher before advancing to third on a Ducks' error.
Bloodhounds junior Wilmer Chavez (Corona, N.Y.) then doubled to center, plating John Jay's first run before a Benjamin Beiro (Bronx, N.Y.) one-out sacrifice fly to center made it 2-0 Bloodhounds.
Stevens quickly responded in the bottom half of the frame with six runs on four hits. Sophomore Tom Phillips got things started with a single down the rightfield line before stealing second. John Jay starter Alex Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) then hit Rasulo to put two aboard before inducing a grounder for the first out.
After another hit batsman loaded the bases, Rodriguez got a much needed strikeout, but Ducks' junior Russ Grimes came through with a big two-out, two-RBI single through the left side to tie the game. Sophomore Corey Linden then singled in another run before sophomore designated hitter Sal Amato blasted a three-run shot over the leftfield fence to put Stevens up four.
The Bloodhounds put runners on the corners with one out in the top half of the second, but Tucci got Hernandez to ground into a double-play to end the inning. With one-out in the bottom half of the frame Rasulo notched his record-breaking 18th double of the season before coming home on junior catcher Denis Ackermann's single to right. The Rutherford, N.J. native later scored on another two-out single by Grimes that made it 8-2 Ducks.
After Catalano singled to start the third, senior Xavier Perez (Bronx, N.Y.) drew a walk to put two aboard with nobody out. Perez and Catalano advanced to second and third, respectively, on a wild pitch before Tucci got Chavez to ground out to third. Beiro later singled back up to middle to plate John Jay's third run of the evening before Tucci induced another inning ending double-play to avoid any further damage.
Amato singled to left to lead-off the Stevens third before senior Anthony Andrews laid down a perfect bunt single down the third-base line to put two on. Phillips then knocked a base-hit into left, but freshman Dennis Lopez (Selden, N.Y.) cut off the throw from Perez, throwing Amato out at home. A Rasulo single loaded the bases with one out before an Ackermann hit-by-pitch upped the Ducks' margin to six.
Tucci got two quick outs to start the Stevens' 4th before issuing a two-out walk to Lopez. Lopez later scored on a Ducks' error before Tucci got Catalano to strikeout swinging. Stevens' quickly responded in the bottom half of the stanza, scoring their 10th run on an Amato single to left.
Following a Perez lineout to start to fifth, Rasulo made a tremendous catch at the centerfield wall, robbing Chavez of a homerun to keep the Ducks' lead at six, but John Jay trimmed it to five with Steven Kendrick's (Bronx, N.Y.) lead-off roundtripper to right center in the sixth.
Junior Kenneth Meerendonk led-off the Stevens half of the sixth with a single before Grimes went yard for the seventh time this season, making it 12-5. With one out and runners on first and second, junior Mike Pagliaro reached on a fielder's choice to short, but advanced to third on a throwing error, plating two more Ducks runs. Pagliaro scored the Ducks' 15th run on a Rasulo sacrifice fly.
Three-straight Bloodhounds singles started the seventh before Chavez belted a grand slam over the centerfield fence to trim the John Jay deficit to six. Beiro followed it up with a double to center before Ducks' reliever John Martelle struck out Kendrick for the first out.
Senior Luis Guzman (Yonkers, N.Y.) and freshman Cosme Munoz (Brooklyn, N.Y.) laced back-to-back singles to once again load the bases before Beiro scored on fielder's choice. Lopez and Guzman later scored on a Hernandez double to left center, cutting the Stevens lead to three.
Meerendonk helped Stevens extend the lead in the bottom of the seventh with a lead-off single to right. The Vernon, N.J. then stole second before advancing to third on a Linden single through the left side. Amato then knocked in Meerendonk with a ground ball to short before Andrews doubled to right center, scoring Linden.
Pagliaro was then hit by a pitch to put two on for Rasulo who blasted a three-run homerun to right center making it 20-12. The Ducks tacked on another run in the bottom half of the eighth on Rasulo's single to left that scored Meerendonk.
Grimes and Amato each finished with three hits and a team-high five RBI to lead the Ducks' attack. Rasulo went 3-for-4 with a double, a homerun, four RBI, and three runs scored, while Linden had four hits and two RBI. Ackermann and Andrews had three hits apiece, while Phillips and Meerendonk combined for four hits and four runs scored.
Perez and Hernandez each had three hits in the loss with Hernandez recording a pair of RBI and a run scored. Chavez and Beiro each went 2-for-4 with Chavez pushing across a team-high five Bloodhounds. Catalano and Guzman each had two hits, while Munoz and Lopez combined for a pair of hits, an RBI, and two runs scored.
All told, Stevens plated 21 runs on 23 hits and four John Jay errors, while the Bloodhounds plated 12 runners on 17 hits and a pair of Ducks' miscues.
Tucci earned his second win of the season, allowing just one earned run on seven hits through five innings, while Rodriguez fell to 2-8 on the year, surrendering eight runs on seven hits in two innings of work.
