Baruch Beats CSI 5-3 To Win School's First Ever CUNYAC Title

BRONX, NY - Baruch College, appearing in the school's first CUNY Athletic Conference Senior College Baseball Championship final, beat the regular season and defending champion, the College of Staten Island, 5-3 to cap off the 2001 CUNYAC year at Yankee Stadium.

Senior lefthander Peter Park (Xaverian HS / Brooklyn, NY) won the Tournament Most Valuable Player honors, giving up one earned run on seven hits, while striking out nine Dolphins, eleven days after throwing a three-hitter in the Statesmen's semifinal win over Lehman. He finished his senior campaign with a 7-3 record.

"It's a feeling that I cannot put into words," said Park, who was honored last night by CUNYAC for his efforts as a scholar-athlete, as he prepares to graduate with a 3.30 GPA in Marketing. "This program is headed in the right direction now with coach [Scott] Losche and a great group of guys to play alongside. All I had to do today is throw strikes."

Every starting player for the Statesmen (17-16) got a hit, as the Manhattan school with a home field forty minutes away from the college, clinched a winning record for the first time since the formal formation of CUNYAC in 1987, and have won the most games since 1974 (18). A two-run double by senior 2B Adam Bottiglieri (Madison HS / Brooklyn, NY) capped a three-run second inning to give Baruch a 5-1 lead. Senior 1B Greg Clerkin (Madison / Brooklyn, NY) scored in the second stanza after leading off the inning with a double.

The Dolphins tried twice to tie the game but two great plays by Baruch made the victory all the more special. In the top of the seventh inning with runners on first and second, sophomore outfielder Robert Benjamin (Truman HS / Bronx, NY) made a diving catch on Michael Guarneri's (Tottenville HS / Staten Island, NY) line drive and doubled Chris Miliante (St. Joseph's by the Sea / Staten Island, NY) off first to end the inning. An inning later, CSI made a two-out rally getting runners again on first and second, but Park wheeled around and threw to shortstop Shawn Ponce (Brooklyn, NY) to pick off centerfielder Rodrigo Paris (New Dorp / Staten Island, NY) and end the threat.

Staten Island (14-21) senior outfielder David Sosa went 3-4 with a double and an RBI, while Jorge Reyes (New Utrecht HS / Brooklyn, NY) pitched 7.2 innings of scoreless relief (5 K's) after starter Tom Colucci (St. Joseph's by the Sea / Staten Island, NY) gave up five earned runs through the first 1.1 innings.

"The pick off play was unbelievably huge," said second year head coach Scott Losche, who played for the Statesmen from 1993-97. "That and Benjamin's catch were brilliant plays that led us to today's win. This means everything to our school, our coaches, our players and myself."

CUNYAC

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