The top-seeded SUNY College at Old Westbury baseball team lost a 5-2 decision to the No. 3 Farmingdale State Rams in the Skyline Conference Championship game Sunday afternoon from Jackie Robinson Athletic Complex. Old Westbury (20-22) battled the now seven-time defending champion Farmingdale State (25-10) in the conference finals for the fifth consecutive season.
Farmingdale State broke the scoring ice with a three-run second inning as the Panthers committed four errors to allow three unearned runs.
Old Westbury found itself in a position to score in the second inning, threatening with the bases loaded and one out. However, Rams’ starter Matt Seelinger induced a strikeout and groundout to escape out of the jam.
Farmingdale State added two more runs in the third with a pair of RBI singles to go up 5-0.
After a rough going in the opening three frames, Panther starter Braylin Perez settled down and prevented Farmingdale State from advancing past second base from the fourth inning on.
John Angelino doubled and advanced to third on a throwing error by left fielder Richard Sullivan to lead off Old Westbury’s half of the fourth. Byron White then stepped to the plate to reach on a fielder’s choice as Angelino was thrown out at home by third baseman Mike Scarlato.
Old Westbury broke through to score its first run in the sixth inning to trim the deficit to four runs. Jonathan Pagan was hit by the pitch to lead off the frame, followed by a fielding error by shortstop Anthony Alvino, which placed runners on first and second with no outs. Michael Cardino then dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance runners to second and third. Seelinger uncorked a wild pitch to score Pagan before retiring White and Brandon Stein on strikes to close out the inning.
The Panthers answered in the seventh with a leadoff walk by Joey Walsh and scored three batters later off Nick Yip’s RBI triple to make it a 5-2 game.
Cardino singled in the eighth to register Old Westbury’s fifth and final hit of the game before White grounded into an inning ending double play.
Yip (1-for-4, RBI) produced his team-leading fifth triple of the season while Angelino (1-2) hit his 11th double of the season to tie Pagan for the team lead.
Perez (1-6) pitched his first complete game of the season, compiling three strikeouts in nine innings of work while allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk.
Seelinger (4-0) worked six innings and gave up two runs on three hits and three walks to snag Farmingdale State’s win. Reliever Michael Dolce picked up his first save of the season with 2.1 innings of one-hit ball.
Sullivan (2-for-4) and Scarlato (2-for-4, RBI, R) each collected a pair of hits to lead the Rams.
OW Honors
The Skyline Conference announced its Sportsmanship Team from the spring sports and three SUNY College at Old Westbury student-athletes were on the list released Monday by league officials.
Baseball’s Arismendy Nunez, Gabriella Valdes of softball and Meaghan Haber of women’s lacrosse were selected to their respective All-Sportsmanship Teams.
“I applaud these student-athletes for displaying good sportsmanship and serving as an example throughout the season,” says Skyline Commissioner Linda Bruno. “Sportsmanship is an integral component of the Skyline mission and it is my privilege to recognize these athletes for their genuine appreciation of the athletic experience.”
Beginning in 2013-14, each sport will recognize an All-Sportsmanship Team, and the conference will recognize one male and one female at the end of the year with Sporting Awards.
Each member institution may nominate one male and one female student-athlete (the nominees must be an athlete already named to an All-Sportsmanship Team that year) and the directors of athletics will vote at the end of the academic year.
Previously, the Skyline Conference awarded a Sportsmanship Trophy in from 2007-13 to gauge team sportsmanship among its member schools.
