Pomona, N.Y. (4/28/19) The Dominican College baseball team split a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) double-header with the visiting Griffins of Chestnut Hill College in games played this afternoon at Palisades Credit Union Park. Dominican won the opener, 15-12, while the Griffins picked up the 15-0 win in the nightcap.

With the split, Dominican is now 24-22 overall and 17-14 in confernce play.

Game One:  The game was scoreless until the top of the third inning when the Griffins struck for five runs on four hits and one error to take a 5-0 lead.  Dominican got a run back in the bottom frame as catcher Brett Karcher-Bowen (Cypress, Texas) hit a leadoff double to right centerfield and senior Elijah Tavarez (Valley Stream, N.Y.) followed two batters later with a run-scoring single to right field.

CHC added a run in the fourth, but Dominican answered with eight runs in their half of the fourth.  Designated hitter Jordan Bernacet (Schenectady, N.Y.) hit a RBI single to centerfield and shortstop Joshua Colon (Bronx, N.Y.) followed with a run-scoring single to left field.  Junior Billy Rotella (Stony Point, N.Y.) contributed a RBI double to left field and Karcher-Bowen followed with a sacrifice fly ball to bring in the fourth run of the inning.  Left fielder Nicholas DeCandia (Cresskill, N.J.) brought home the tying run on a single to right field and make the score 6-6.  Freshman outfielder Brian Sanders (La Ceiba, Honduras) plated DeCandia on the single to left field to lift the Chargers to the 7-6 edge.  Bernacet hit a two out two-run single to right field to extend the lead to 9-6.

The Griffins rallied with three runs in the fifth and one run in the sixth to claim a 10-9 advantage, but the Chargers countered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth as Colon hit a two-run single to right field and Rotella followed with a sac fly to right field to regain a 12-10 lead.  CHC once again rallied with two runs in the seventh, but DC scored a run in the bottom of the seventh on the RBI single to center field off the bat of senior Justin Decker (Rotterdam, N.Y.) to give DC the 13-12 lead.  Two more runs scored in the bottom of the eighth on a sac fly and a bases loaded walk for the final 15-12 win.

Tavarez had four hits in the win, while Colon had three hits and three RBI.  Bernacet also recorded three RBI.

Cole Fancher (Gilboa, N.Y.) picked up the win (5-0) in three innings of relief.

Game Two:  The Griffins struck for 15 runs on 15 hits in the shut out victory.

Tavarez and Rotella had the hits for the Chargers.

Starter Jordyn Schwark (Kingston, N.Y.) took the loss (3-2) in three innings of work.