CUNYAC Takes Hold of New York, Shuts Down New York Gothams, 5-2

Staten Island, N.Y.— The 2007 City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) baseball Goodwill Tour team got five runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning and it proved to be more than enough as the CUNYAC defeated the New York Gothams, 5-2, in an exhibition game at the College of Staten Island Baseball Complex on Thursday evening.

The game was the first of two contests the CUNYAC will have before the take off for their Goodwill Tour to Italy starting on June 22.

After a scoreless first two innings, the Gothams, a 19 and under team that featured several Division I players, got on the board with a pair of runs in the top half of the third inning when Ryan Burke, a sophomore pitcher at Wake Forrest scored on an RBI single by Adam Marquit. Moments later Marquit would score on a base hit by Sean Carberry, a product of Villanova.

The CUNYAC however got five runs across in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead and hold on for the win.

CUNYAC got the scoring started when CCNY’s Richard Gomez scored from first on a double by Thomas Welsh from Kingsborough Community College. Moments later the CUNYAC grabbed the lead on a two run triple by Michael Madalone of the College of Staten Island to score Welsh and Lehman’s Kareem Benjamin who got on base with a walk.

CUNYAC added another run when Baruch’s Greg Polius ripped a single to right field to bring home Madalone. After stealing second, the speedy Polius, who had three stolen bases on the night, stole third and then scored on a throwing error by the Gotham catcher.

Neither team would score from there as CUNYAC got a strong performance out of starting pitcher John Dobkowski of John Jay, and relievers Paul Rittenhouse of Kingsborough Community College and William Marte of Queensborough Community College.

Dobkowski went five innings and allowed two runs on three hits while striking out five. Rittenhouse threw two innings of shutout baseball, allowing no hits and fanning three batters. Marte went two innings to close the game out allowing three hits and striking out four.

CUNYAC out hit the Gothams 8-6, as seven different CUNYAC hitters recorded a hit. Gomez was the team’s lone player to have multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a run.

The CUNYAC Goodwill Tour members will meet next on Wed. June 13 at Bronx Community College for another practice. The team will have one more exhibition game on Wed. June 20 against the New York Police Department (NYPD) at the College of Staten Island at 7 p.m.

In addition to the game members of the Goodwill tour met briefly afterwards to pick up important information, including a packet of information on Italy, raffle tickets to be used for fund raising, and Goodwill Tour tee shirts to donate to people in Italy.