6-0! First-Place Panthers Pick Up Two More Wins

Purchase, NY – Purchase baseball stayed hot in league play, rolling to 6-0 in a Skyline Conference doubleheader against Mount Saint Mary College Saturday at home.

Backed by a complete game from Miguel Reyes (JR/Bronx, NY), the Panthers topped the Knights 7-1 in the opener. Lukas Chin (SO/Spring Valley, NY) was also strong on the hill in game two, as the Panthers downed MSMC 4-2 to complete the sweep.

Purchase is now 11-12 overall. The Knights fall to 5-17 overall and 0-2 in the Skyline.

With one runner on and two outs in the top half of the first in game one, Panther third baseman
Patrick Rucci (JR/Cortlandt Manor, NY) leaped and snarled a line drive to thwart the potential rally.

The two starters matched zeroes through the first two frames.

Reyes struck out Joey Pugliese with two runners on in the second.

Nick Kulbaba (SR/Suffern, NY), who recently returned from injury, singled in the bottom half of the second, but MSMC's starter Chris Wolfe, like Reyes, managed to end the threat.

The Knights loaded the bases in the third and scored the game's first run on a walk by Blake Keenan. Reyes, however, induced a ground ball, double play to end the inning.

In the bottom half of the inning, Purchase opened with consecutive hits by Gregory Walsh (FR/Bethpage, NY) and Ronald Pressley (JR/Bronx, NY) that put runners on the corners for Brenden LaPorte (SR/Farmington, CT). LaPorte smashed a single to left, scoring Walsh to tie the game.

An error in the midfield loaded the bases for the Panthers. Teofilo Ramirez (JR/Queens, NY) followed with an RBI groundout for the lead.

Then, LaPorte sprinted home on a short pop up to short off the bat of Mathew Chavez (SR/Brooklyn, NY) for a 3-1 advantage.

It stayed that way through the sixth. In the top of the sixth, Rucci starred defensively, making two terrific plays – one on a bunt and the other on a diving stop – to send the Panthers back into the dugout with the lead still intact.

Purchase then scored three runs in the bottom half, highlighted by a Kulbaba single and RBI and a single and an RBI single from LaPorte – his third hit of the game. In between, Pressley's fielder's choice pushed the lead to 5-1, plating Brian Cunningham (FR/Westbury, NY), who doubled earlier in the inning.

The Panthers carried their 6-1 lead into the eighth as Reyes coasted on the hill. In the bottom of the eighth, Purchase tacked on a single run, manufacturing a run on one hit and two errors.

In the ninth, Reyes closed the door. He finished with six strikeouts to improve to 3-1. LaPorte and Kulbaba paced the hosts offensively in the opener, each recording three hits apiece. The two accounted for six of the team's 10 hits. LaPorte led the team with two RBI.

In game two, Purchase opened with one run in the first on two hits. Kulbaba singled to left field, scoring Ramirez for a quick 1-0 lead.

A catcher's interference helped the Panthers increase that lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the third.

In the fourth, MSMC broke through against Chin and tied the game. The Knights scored two runs on four hits. Pugliese singled in the first run. Louie Rivera followed with another single to score Blake Keenan, but Pugliese was gunned down at the plate on a terrific diving stop by Walsh, who then fired home, where LaPorte applied the tag for the final out.

In the bottom of the inning, Pressley smashed a two-out single and stole second. LaPorte continued his hot hitting at the plate, doubling to left to score Pressley. LaPorte would advance to third on an error and score on another error for the 4-2 lead.

In the fifth, MSMC stranded two runners on as Chin eluded trouble with runners on second and third, inducing a pop up and a ground out to close out the top half of the inning.

Chin posted consecutive scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth.

With the score 4-2 in the seventh, MSMC put the leadoff runner on. Purchase head coach Adam Taraska then made a pitching change, bringing in lefty Joseph Stewart (JR/Garnerville, NY). The runner tried to steal second base, but LaPorte fired a strike to second for the first out.

Stewart allowed a walk, but struck out the next batter for the second out and got an infield pop up to first for the final out, earning the save in the 4-2 win. Chin collected the win and is now a perfect 5-0.

Kulbaba paced the offense in game two, going 2-for-2 with one RBI. 

The Panthers have a quick turnaround Sunday, with conference foe Farmingdale State coming to the campus for a twin bill starting at 11 a.m.