Lightning Win Streak Hits Three, As Lehman Downs CSI

The heavy rains were not enough, as Lehman College continued their winning ways, by defeating the College of Staten Island 8-6 in action on Lehman's South Field. The win gives the Lightning three consecutive wins, their longest streak of the season.

Sophomore Adam Kolinoski too the hill for the Lightning. Kolinoski did not have his best stuff, but he did enough to earn a victory, as he hurled 6.2 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits while walking three and striking out five.

Lehman got on the board in the bottom of the first inning, as they plated two runs thanks to a RBI single by junior infielder Andrew Rosario and a screaming RBI double by sophomore Kareem Benjamin. After one inning of play, Lehman held a 2-0 lead.

The score remained 2-0 in favor of the Lightning until the bottom of the third, when Benjamin would striking again, as he tagged Piccirillo for a 3-run homerun over the fence in right field to give his team a commanding 5-0 lead.

The Dolphins would get two of those runs back in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, junior Ray Valerio started the inning with a single to right field. Sophomore outfielder Joel Pratts followed that up with a single to center, moving Valerio to 2nd base. After the runners moved up on a wild pitch, senior infielder Mohammad Hamad struck out. That brought up freshman infielder Andrew Baio, and Baio came through, as he sliced a 2-RBI single to center field, cutting the CSI deficit to three, at 5-2. The Dolphins would cut into their deficit in the top of the sixth inning, as sophomore catcher Michael Madalone beat out an infield single with two outs, as Pratts came on to score CSI's third run.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Lightning increased their lead to five, plating three runs against CSI relievers Jeff Appelbaum and Daniel Gonzalez. Appelbaum started the inning by hitting the first two batters that he faced, Matthew Arvelo and Jason Caraballo. Both runners would come around to score in the inning, and errors by Madalone, Baio, and Valerio would allow Lehman to score an additional run.

From there, CSI plated two runs in the top of the seventh inning, and Gonzalez held the Lightning at Bay, keeping Lehman off the scoreboard in the seventh and eighth innings.

As the game headed to to the ninth, the Dolphins trailed 8-5. Lehman reliever Grijalba, who came into the game with two outs in the seventh inning, was hoping to record the final three outs to nail down the save. Freshman outfielder Thomas DeWaters began the inning with a single to center field. After Glennerster bounced into a fielders choice, Valerio would double to deep right-center field, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Pratts would then hit a RBI single to left field, scoring Glennerster, as Valerio moved to third base. On the single, the throw came into third base, allowing Pratts to move to 2nd base. Grijalba then reached back and came up huge for his squad, striking out Hamad and Baio to end CSI's comeback bid.

Lehman improves to 5-12 overall on the season, and 2-8 in the CUNY conference.