Vassar starter Derek DeMild's solid performance was not enough to keep the Brewers in position to win the game, as the Panthers pulled away late in the game, scoring five runs in the top of the eighth.
Both DeMild and Old Westbury starter Joseph Nicoletti came out strong in the early innings, with
DeMild pitching scoreless through the first three innings. DeMild began each of the first two innings by putting a man on, but cleared the bases both times by drawing a double play ground ball from the next hitter. While DeMild drew more groundouts from opposing hitters, Nicoletti drew more fly balls. Early in the game, many Vassar batters launched the ball deep only to have it fall just short of the fence and into the glove of an Old Westbury outfielder.
Vassar was the first to score in the third inning, when Denis Shanagher hit a sacrifice fly deep into left center field to allow Matt Hernandez to score from third base after he earlier doubled to start the rally. The inning ended on a crazy play where a wild pitch got away from Old Westbury catcher Carlos Balmaceda. Alex Hartnett tried to score all the way from second base but was tagged out by Nicoletti before he could reach the plate.
Old Westbury struck back with two runs in the top of the fourth. One of them came from another sacrifice fly, this time from Paul Rapoli to score Dean Sheridan. Louis Sileno also drove Kevin Lao in with an RBI single to give the Panthers (19-7) the lead.
Reliever Trey Pizzutello took the mound for Old Westbury in the bottom of the fourth to replace Nicoletti, and after recording one scoreless frame, gave up an RBI double to Vassar's Hernandez in the fifth on which Cory Wuenschell scored. However, Pizzutello was able to put out the fire, preventing the Brewers from taking the lead after they had tied up the game.
From there Old Westbury's offense took off. DeMild was forced out of the game in the middle of a two-run top half of the sixth, after which the Panthers scored one run in the seventh and five runs in the eighth to pull away.
Hernandez finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI, while Wuenschell was 1-for-2 with a run scored. Vassar totaled eight hits on the contest, including one by junior Mike Koscielniak, who upped his current team-high hitting streak up to eight games. Reliever Joe Conti also worked two scoreless innings of baseball, allowing one walk while fanning two Panther batters.
Jesse Russo was 2-for-5 for OW, while Dean Sheridan and Kevin Lao also added a pair of hits apiece.
Vassar (10-13) will host Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in a non-conference game at Prentiss Field. The Brewers are in the midst of a 15-game home stand, the longest such home stint in program history.
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