(yumacs.com) The Yeshiva University baseball team won both ends of its doubleheader on Sunday afternoon, defeating John Jay College by scores of 5-4 and 7-3, at Diamond Nation. The Maccabees advance to 2-1 for the season, while the Bloodhounds drop to 0-3.

In the opening game, the Macs trailed 4-0 heading to the fifth inning, and were behind 4-3 to begin the seventh and final inning. After YU tied the game, senior Judah Blonder drilled a two-out RBI single to left, breaking a 4-4 tie. YU was able to prevent John Jay from scoring in the bottom frame to secure the win.

“We really played as a family today and even though we were down early we never gave up and were supporting each other every single at bat,” Blonder said. “Every player in the lineup contributed in some way and we really showed our mental fortitude to stay competitive throughout.”

Graduate student Dovie Solomon started the first game and went six innings to earn the win on the mound. He only gave up one earned run, while striking out five opposing batters. Sophomore pitcher Aharon Weiden earned the save by shutting the door and retiring all three John Jay batters he faced.

“Everybody stepped up and filled the role they were asked to do,” Solomon said. “It led to some quality baseball and two wins today. It was a nice way to get this season going in the right direction. We just want to build off this going forward.

The Maccabees jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game two and never looked back. Senior Adam Zahler was the winning pitcher in the second contest, striking out six hitters in six innings pitched. Weiden once again got the final three outs of the game by pitching a scoreless seventh.

Back in the opening game, the Bloodhounds took advantage of a YU fielding miscue in the bottom of the second to score their second and third runs of the contest. John Jay added one more in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-0 advantage.

In the top of the fifth, with YU down by four and runners at second and third, one out, Blonder was able to cross home plate thanks to an RBI groundout by senior Leib Fant to pull the Blue and White to within three. Two batters later, junior Shai Rosalimsky drove in senior Justin Hanelin on a single up the middle to cut John Jay’s lead to 4-2. Next up, with two outs, was sophomore Sammy Greenberg who drilled a double to left center to send Rosalimsky home from first and narrow YU’s deficit to 4-3.

YU did not score any more runs during that inning, but Solomon kept his team in it on the mound by retiring the next six batters he faced over the course of two frames.

With Yeshiva down to its last three outs in the top of the seventh, Rosalimsky led it off by drawing a walk. The Maccabees ended up loading the bases with one out. Sophomore Joshua Mintz came up the plate and hit the ball to center. It was caught by John Jay’s center fielder, but it was deep enough for senior Jacob Schwartzman to score the tying run. With runners on first and second, two outs, and the game tied at four runs apiece, Blonder slapped a single to left field to score Greenberg and put the Maccabees in front, 5-4.

After the Bloodhounds got the final out, it was their turn to have one final chance at the plate. However, Weiden came on in relief and produced three ground outs to clinch the come-from-behind victory for the Macs and earn himself his first career save.

During game one, Blonder went 2-for-3 with a walk. Junior Ari Rosenberg had a single and three stolen bases. Hanelin produced a base hit and a base on balls, while Fant had a single of his own. Senior David Kreisberg recorded a single, while Greenberg drew a walk.

Rosenberg got the Maccabees off to a hot start in game two by drilling a triple to left. He eventually scored on a two-out infield single by Kreisberg to give Yeshiva a 1-0 benefit.

In the top of the third, YU had runners on first and second with one out. Greenberg and Kreisberg produced back-to-back run-scoring singles to extend the Macs’ lead to 3-0. With YU having two outs now, and runners on second and third, Blonder continued his hot hitting with a single to right to score Greenberg and extend the Blue and White’s hold to 4-0.

With YU up 5-1, the Bloodhounds scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to pull to within two. However, the Macs added two runs of their own in the sixth to regain their four-run lead, 7-3, and that would be the final score.

Yeshiva University Assistant Coach, and YU baseball alumnus, Jeremy Schwartz (‘11) reflected on his team’s strong performance. “Our program always focuses on details and what we can build on game to game, or season to season,” he said. “It was great to see that paying off today with a pair of wins. We will use this momentum to continue improving on both sides of the ball.”

During the second end of the doubleheader, Rosenberg went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two more stolen bases, giving him five for the afternoon. Fant scored twice, while drawing two walks and stealing one base. Greenberg and Weiden each reached base with a walk, while junior David Price hit a single. Hanelin drew two walks and Schwartzman stole a base while serving as a pinch runner.

Yeshiva will return to Diamond Nation next Sunday for a doubleheader against Utica University. First pitch is scheduled for noon.