The College of Staten Island’s star pitcher/hitter had enjoyed the wild seven-hour ride that eventually resulted in a CUNY Conference baseball title with a 14-8 victory over Baruch, giving the Dolphins their school -record 30th win.
"We’re really enjoying this moment," said Gale, the conference’s regular-season MVP. "We fell short last year and we really wanted to bounce back strong. It means a lot to us.
"And hopefully it’s another step along the way to bigger things."
It’s no secret that CSI second-year head coach Mike Mauro has his eyes on the program’s first NCAA Division III regional invitation in nearly two decades, and the Dolphins hope that their stunning 10-8 loss in Saturday’s championship-round opener won’t come back to haunt them.
"We’re 30-10 ... this is a steppingstone," said Mauro of the CUNY crown. "We have our eyes on the bigger picture. This is nice, but we want to get to the regionals. We’re still knocking on the door. We’re not there yet, but I think we’re close."
It won’t hurt that Mauro’s on the New York State Region selection committee which will convene via conference call two weeks from Sunday to determine the NCAA field.
In the meantime, the Dolphins can count on an ECAC Metro tourney bid when the field is announced next weekend — and a week’s layoff after Wednesday’s makeup game against Yeshiva.
Defending champion Baruch spoiled CSI’s bid for a perfect tourney with a five-run ninth-inning rally keyed by Monsignor Farrell product Peter Dinolfo’s three-run triple. His two-out shot tied the score at 8-8 and another Farrell product, John Avona, drove in the go-ahead run with a single.
"It happens ... you can’t win every game," said Mauro. "We weren’t panicking ... we felt we were still in the driver’s seat."
The Dolphins scored five runs in the first inning and six more in the second to claim an early 11-3 lead in the deciding game. The first five batters greeted David Chestnut with hits, with Tom DeWaters, Joe Cassano and Gale delivering RBI hits before Steve Hession and Devon DiCasoli both walked with the bases loaded.
Sal Todaro, Cory Sullivan and Matt Oetting had RBI hits in the second, and the Dolphins went to Tom Matson after the Bearcats had pulled to within 11-7. Matson allowed one run in 3-and-a-third innings of bullpen work.
"It’s a great group of guys, we’re very close," said Gale, who went 4-for-5 with six walks in the twinbill. "We really wanted to win for each other."
It was the Dolphins’ 14th CUNY title, a record, and their second in three seasons. They’ll get a chance to win their second ECAC Metro title (the first was in 2000) and possibly use that as a springboard into the NCAAs.
NOTES: Sullivan, a freshman third baseman from Tottenville HS, was named tourney MVP ... Mauro was named CUNY Coach of the Year and Paul Ciccazzo was Pitcher of the Year ... Dinolfo went 3-for-5 in the opener with four RBI ... CSI led the opener 8-4 after seven innings before Baruch’s rally ... Baruch ended the season with a 14-21 record.
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