HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 7, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team topped Baruch College, 6-2, in the CUNYAC First Round on Wednesday evening at Dobbelaar Field. Stevens is now 24-13 overall and will play the College of State Island at 4 p.m. tomorrow at MCU Park in Brooklyn, N.Y. in the semifinals.

Sophomore Greg Jakusik (The Woodlands, Texas) started on the mound for Stevens and needed just eight pitches to get through the first inning with a pair of strikeouts. Jakusik ran into some trouble, however, in the second and allowed two runs on a homerun to right field by Keith Ezersky with a runner on first base to give Baruch an early 2-0 lead.

The lefty settled down from there and finished the game with 11 strikeouts over 6.2 innings pitched. He gave up just three hits on the evening but did walk five batters in his second win of the season.

The Ducks tied it up in the bottom of the third on three hits. Junior Gregg Nickels (Simpsonville, S.C.) started things off with a single to left and then sophomore Jonathan Toro (Sanford, Fla.) notched a base hit with one out after junior Marc Calleo (Bayville, N.J.) laid down a sacrifice bunt. Junior Brian Hennelly (Holbrook, N.Y.) drove in Nickels with a groundball through the left side for the Ducks' first run. After a double steal moved Toro and Hennelly up a base, senior Dan Allen (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) picked up an RBI on a groundout to short that allowed Toro to score and knot the game up at 2-2.

Stevens jumped ahead in the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer from sophomore Nicholas Sieber (Shrewsbury, Mass.) that smashed off the scoreboard in right-centerfield to lead off the frame. Freshman Bret Viola (Carmel, N.Y.) drew a walk in the ensuing at bat and then came home on a double to left-center by sophomore Tyler Bush (Bristol, Conn.). The Ducks tried to push another run across on a suicide squeeze, but the attempt failed and Bush was rundown heading back to third.

Allen put the Ducks up by four runs, 6-2, with a two-run shot over the scoreboard with no outs in the fifth after Hennelly led off with a walk. Sophomore Jayson Yano (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) stroked a double on the next pitch and Sieber reached on an infield single to continue the inning. They both stole on a strikeout and the bases were then loaded on a walk to Bush which forced Baruch's starter, Paul Perez, out of the game.

Connor Henson entered the game and retired both Ducks batters he faced to leave the bases loaded.

The Bearcats threatened in the top of the seventh with the bases loaded and two outs, but senior Mark Poinsett (Ocean Gate, N.J.) entered from the bullpen and forced a groundball out to end Baruch's chances.

That was the last opportunity Baruch had for a comeback, as it was shut down in the eighth by Poinsett and then Allen eased through the ninth.

More information (live stats/video) on tomorrow's game will be released in the morning.

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