Box Score
FARMINGDALE, N.Y.--Kyle McKelvey knocked in the game-winning run when he drew a bases-loaded walk and
Steve Ambrosino added some insurance runs with a bases-clearing triple as the Western New England University baseball team scored four times in the top of the ninth inning to defeat host Farmingdale State in the opening game of the Long Island Spring Classic on Friday afternoon. In a match-up of nationally-ranked squads, the Golden Bears (No. 13 D3baseball.com, No. 22 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper) are 1-0 while the Skyline Conference-favorite Rams ("receiving votes" D3baseball.com, No. 19 CBN) dip to 1-5 on the season.
"This was a good team win today," Western New England coach Matt LaBranche said after the game. "I thought we competed very well."
Senior
Mike Lospinuso earned the victory after going 3-2/3 innings of scoreless baseball. The West Islip (N.Y.) High School product allowed only three hits and no walks with one strikeout. Junior
Brendan Nugent started for the Golden Bears, getting three strikeouts in 5-1/3 innings. He was charged with two runs on four hits and two walks.
"It's very gratifying to see our Long Island boys deliver for the hometown crowd," LaBranche said, referring to Lospinuso and Ambrosino, who is from Laurel Hollow, N.Y., and Cold Spring Harbor High. "Ambro(sino) gave us all the breathing room we needed with his clutch (AB) in the ninth, and Lospo was terrific in relief."
Senior co-captain
Matt Anthonis and
Mike Rubino led Western New England with two hits apiece.
Ron Remi and David Zilnicki each had two hits for the Rams, who matched the Golden Bears' seven for the game.
Western New England took a 1-0 with an unearned run in the top of the first inning when senior co-captain
Tim Clark singled up the middle to score junior lead-off man
Jeff Schult, who reached on an error by the shortstop, from second base.
McKelvey made it 2-0 on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.
The Rams tied it 2-2 when they struck for a pair of runs in the sixth as Zilnicki had a RBI-single to right field and Dalton McCarthy tripled home Zilnicki two batters later.
In the decisive ninth frame, Western New England loaded the bases with one out on singles by Anthonis and Rubino and a
Taylor Perun intentional walk after Clark sacrificed both runners to third and second base, respectively. Anthonis scored what proved to be the game-winning run when he was forced home by McKelvey's walk.
