FINAL SCORE: #5 Apprentice School 5, #9 St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn 4
RECORDS: Apprentice School 27-14; St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn 24-18
LOCATION: War Memorial Stadium/Hampton, VA
IN BRIEF: A two-run fifth inning put the Builders ahead as they advance to Saturday's play with a 5-4 win over St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn on Friday afternoon in the 2015 USCAA Small College World Series at War Memorial Stadium.
HOW THEY SCORED
The Builders got on the board with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning as with one out Collin Wilber walked and Jordan Cowles hit a single to center to move pinch-runner Jordan Wright to third base. Thomas Richardson drove in Wright with a sacrifice fly to left and Brock Harris followed on the next pitch with a smack to right field for a triple to score Cowles for a 2-0 lead.
St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn put up a four-spot in the top of the third as Michael Camerada doubled to left and Bobby Peretti beat out an infield single to have runners at first and second. Following a fly out, Domenick Camerada's slow roller single to short allowed everyone to move up and load the bases. Chris Cutrone then slapped a single up the middle to score Peretti and Michael Camerada to tie the game. Following a strikeout and an infield single by Francis Rapp, Nicholas LoPrinzi singled to left center to score Cutrone and pinch-runner Nicholas Calamia to take a 4-2 lead.
The Apprentice School cut the deficit in half in the home half of the third inning as Ryan Hendrickson singled to left and went to third on a Lee Rossi double down the left field line to score Hendrickson to get the Builders to within a run at 4-3.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Builders took the lead with a similar start to the third inning as Hendrickson singled and this time went to third on a double from Rossi. A sacrifice fly from Christian Burton brought in Hendrickson to tie the game at 4-all. Following an infield out, Rossi scored on a wild pitch to put the hosts ahead 5-4.
After throwing a complete-game three-hitter in the Builders earlier win on Friday, Sam Massie came in to relieve winning pitcher James Anthony with a runner on in the sixth inning after LoPrinzi singled to start the inning. After a sacrifice from Vinny Rossi moved LoPrinzi to second, Massie forced a pair of ground outs to end that threat.
In the seventh, the Bears got a single from Domenick Camerada but fly outs to right, left and short ended the game and gave him his fifth save on the season.
BEHIND THE BOXSCORE
The Builders were out-hit 11-9 by the Bears as Brock Harris and Rossi had three hits each and Hendrickson was 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored.
The Bears were topped by LoPrinzi going 3-for-3 and drove in a pair, while Domenick and Michael Camerada along with Cutrone had two hits each. Connor Pasetti was the losing pitcher allowing five runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings.
TOURNAMENT NOTES
This was the best finish ever for St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn in the USCAA Nationals with their fourth-place showing.
Apprentice School has now advanced to the final day of the tournament in seven of the last nine years.
NEXT UP
The Builders now face second-seeded Penn State Greater Allegheny at 11 am in the third-place game at War Memorial Stadium.
