From NYU Athletics
The New York University baseball team (14-20) swept the College of Staten Island (21-12) in an afternoon doubleheader on Sunday, April 24, at MCU Park in Brooklyn, NY.
The Violets shutout the Dolphins in the opener 4-0 and outscored them in the nitecap 11-4.
On the mound in game one for the Violets was Chase Denison. The left-hander pitched a complete game shutout, only allowing five hits while striking out four Dolphins. It was NYU's first complete-game shutout since the Division III varsity program was added in 2015.
"Chase had another great outing," said Head Coach Doug Kimbler. "As the game went along, he hit more spots and he made it really easy on himself."
In addition to solid pitching, NYU had a banner day offensively as well.
After three scoreless innings, NYU put the first run on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Jonathan Iaione led off the frame with a single followed by a base hit from Jake Smith. The Violets managed to grab the 1-0 lead as Iaione scored on a CSI error.
NYU's bats came to life again in the bottom of the fifth as Christian Bloom started with a leadoff single. Following a walk to Jack Walter, Adrian Spitz smacked a bases clearing double to bring the score to 3-0. Smith then singled in Spitz to tack on the final run.
In game two, Jack Kurtenbach made his first collegiate start for the Violets. He went 3.2 innings, alllowing one earned run on four hits, while striking out three Dolphins.
"I think game one was a big lift for him [Kurtenbach]," continued Kimbler. "Having him go in and throw after a big win like that, that was a great motivation."
NYU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on RBI singles by Iaione and Michael Vokulich and a sacrifice fly by Jack Elias,
The Dolphins responded with a run in the second, but the Violets countered with three more in the third. RBI singles from Bloom and Vokulich helped extend the Violets' lead to 6-1.
CSI closed to within 6-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth, when NYU extended its lead by adding two more runs on RBIs from Bloom and Walter.
The Dolphins scored their final run in the top of the sixth and the Violets scored their final three in the bottom as Bloom and Vokulich each added another RBI.
"We had pitching, good defense and some timely hitting," said Kimbler. "Having those three things like we did today, that is always a good formula."
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS:
- Spitz led the Violets with two RBIs.
- Smith went 2-3 with one RBI.
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS:
- Both Bloom and Vokulich went 3-4 with three RBI each.
"Vokulich has been working on squaring the ball up for a few days now," continued Kimbler. "It was good to see balls get through for him."