College baseball

Wins, woes and whys?

Generals’ week marked by ups and downs

SUFFERN, NY - The Sullivan County Community College Generals (5-9, 1-4) baseball team dropped a doubleheader on April 6 to Rockland County Community College (4-2) by scores of 11-6 and 2-0. The Generals were down 7-1 in the fifth in game one and scored five runs in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 7-6. Ray Valdez (Bronx/JFK) homered to lead off the fifth to spark the rally. Mike Prunka (Glen Spey/Eldred) was in a pitcher’s duel with Rockland’s Nicholas Tingos (Staten Island/Moore Catholic) (1-0) through four innings. The Hawks got to Prunka in the fifth, scoring six runs on five hits. Albert Bevacqua (Staten/Island/New Dorp) led the Generals with three RBI.

Game two was a classic pitcher’s duel between Sullivan’s Jess Kelly (Elmira/Elmira Free Academy) and Rockland’s Wes Poppe (Sloatsburg/Suffern). The Hawks scored the go-ahead runs in the sixth as Justin Leon (New City/Clarkstown North) drove in both runs with a double to right field. The Generals had runners at first and second in the seventh, but Rockland’s Chris Krasniqui (Nauet/Nanuet) coaxed Albert Bevacqua to pop to short to end the game and pick up the save.

“We had opportunities in both games to pull them out and our defense let us down at times. Our hitting came up short at other times,” said a disappointed Sullivan coach, Mike Marra. “We’ve been a little snake bit through these first five conference games. We’ll hit some shots but they’re right at guys or defenses make great plays against us and we don’t execute the routine baseball plays. Add it up and you are 1-4,” Marra said.

The Generals began the Quickway Series with Orange County Community College beginning on April 8th.

Generals ground the Hawks

The Generals (5-7, 1-2) defeated the Rockland Hawks (2-2) 14-7 in a Mid Hudson Conference game on April 3 under the lights at Rockland Community College in Suffern. The Generals banged out 17 hits, with every General in the line up recording at least one.

Moore went three for six with two doubles and three RBI. John DeGroodt (Walden/Valley Central) picked up the win, pitching seven innings, striking out nine, hitting a solo home run, going two for four at the plate and driving in two. Other Generals leading the offensive were Alicedies Ferreiras (Bronx/Alfred Smith) who went two for four with two runs scored; Mark Roarty (Secaucus/Hudson Catholic) who went three for six and had three RBI; Albert Bevacqua (Staten Island/New Dorp) who went three for three, had a double and two RBI. Wes Poppe led the Hawks going four for five, with two doubles and three RBI.

“We were very disciplined at the plate tonight,” Marra said. “We drew 10 walks and delivered key hits with men on base. We kept executing the game plan, even when our lead evaporated, which shows a lot of character by our guys.”

The Generals led 7-2 after four. The Hawks closed the gap to 7-5 after five and tied it 7-7 in the seventh. Fred Moore’s RBI double in the eighth, which sparked a six-run Generals eighth, put the game away for Sullivan.