Big eighth inning sends @OW_Panthers Baseball to 10-3 win at Vassar

Photo is courtesy of Suny Old Westbury College

Old Westbury scored five runs in the eighth to win its fifth-straight game | Courtesy of Old Westbury Sports Information (written by Harris Rappel)

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY --- (www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) SUNY Old Westbury baseball (18-9) produced five runs in the eighth inning to collect a 10-3 non-conference road win Wednesday from the Vassar Brewers (10-13) at Prentiss Field.

Vassar broke the scoring ice in the third inning with a sacrifice fly off Panther starter Joseph Nicoletti (ND, 3 IP, 2 H, R, K) to claim the lead.

Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, Paul Rapoli (1-for-2, RBI, R, 2 BB) scored Dean Sheridan (2-for-3, 2 R, 3 BB) on a sacrifice fly and Louis Sileno's RBI single pushed Kevin Lao (2-for-5, 3 R, BB, SB) across home plate for a 2-1 Panther lead.    

Reliever Trey Pizzutello (3-1, 2 IP, 2 H, R, K) allowed a RBI double to Vassar's Matt Hernandez to tie the game in the fifth.

Old Westbury answered in the sixth with a RBI single by Carlos Balmaceda off Vassar starter Derek DeMild (1-2, 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 3 K).  Three batters later, Balmaceda scored the game-winning run on Tommy Ziegen's (1-for-5, 3 RBI, BB) bases loaded walk.

The Brewers scored in the sixth on a sacrifice fly off reliever Daniel Aguilo to make it a 4-3 game.

Sileno lifted a sacrifice fly in the seventh to drive home Lao for a 5-3 lead.

Old Westbury used a five-run eighth inning to settle the score as Ziegen tripled to drive in two, and scored on a throwing error by Hernandez.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS DAY VERSUS MOUNT SAINT MARY KNIGHTS UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: Old Westbury returns home for Saturday's (Apr. 16) Special Olympics Day Skyline Conference doubleheader versus the Mount Saint Mary Knights.  First pitch is slated for 12 p.m. from Jackie Robinson Athletic Complex.