Box Score (Suffern, NY) - A lot has happened since the last time the Westchester Community College Baseball team failed to advance to the NJCAA Region XV Championship Game: Occupy Wall Street came and went, President Barack Obama secured and then served a second term in office, and was succeeded by Donald J. Trump, and the Chicago Cubs won the World Series after 108 years of disappointment and heartbreak. Most current members of the team celebrated their graduation from Elementary School ... then Middle School ... and then High School.

And the way things are going for Coach Billy McClure and company, the current team might earn their PhDs before WCC is not playing for the Region XV title again.

Sophomore Nicholas Antenucci (Yonkers, NY/Stepinac) gave the Vikings six incredible innings on the mound to improve to 7-1 on the season, and Thursday's hero, Paul Franzese (Somers, NY/Somers HS) went 2 for 2 with two walks and two runs scored as Westchester Community College defeated Dutchess Community College 6-4 on Friday evening at Rockland Community College. With the win, the Vikings improve to 27-10 for the 2018 season, and will play in the NJCAA Region XV Championship Game on Saturday. This will be the seventh consecutive Region XV Championship Game in which Westchester CC will play. The Vikings have won the last four championships, and five of the last six.

One day after Westchester survived an effort by upstart Orange Community College to advance to the winner's bracket in a 13-12 thriller, Antenucci's steady presence on the mound was a huge factor in Westchester's win. During a season in which he pitched a perfect game and earned First Team All-Region honors, Antenucci was incredible on Friday, pitching six innings, and allowing only two runs during the third inning, but he also pitched out of a jam during the third stanza that saw two more Falcon runners on base with no outs after two runs had already scored. Otherwise, Antenucci allowed only five hits and struck out four. He walked four as well. 

Westchester opened the scoring during the first inning when Franzese walked, stole a base and advanced to third on a throwing error, and scored on a Christian Lovecchio (North White Plains, NY/Valhalla HS) single for an unearned run to gain the lead. 

Dutchess took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the third inning when the Vikings erupted for three runs to jump ahead for good. James Houlahan (Yorktown Heights, NY/Lakeland HS) drove in Sergio Osorio (North White Plains, NY/Valhalla HS) to tie the score. Lovecchio then notched his second RBI of the game, scoring Houlahan to give Westchester a 3-2 lead. Later in the inning, a Bobby Wootten (Ardsley, NY/Ardsley HS) sacrifice fly scored Franzese for the 4-2 lead.

From there, Antenucci breezed through the next three innings, leaving the game in favor of Scottie Giordano (Croton, NY/Croton-Harmon HS) to open the seventh inning with the 4-2 lead. 

The Vikings made it a 5-2 game in the seventh when Houlahan scored his second run of the game after a Dutchess error. An inning later, Giordano helped his own cause with a two-out RBI single to make it 6-2.

Dutchess had one last rally in them as the Falcons scored twice in the top of the ninth inning to make it 6-4, and had the tying run on first base with one out, but Giordano closed the door. He recorded his second strikeout of the game with one out, and induced a ground-out to third base to end the game, and earn his first save of the season.

What is known about the Championship Game is that Westchester will play on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. for the Region XV crown, and the Vikings will have two opportunities to win it. What is not known is the opponent for WCC. The day begins with Rockland CC facing Dutchess CC at 11:00 a.m. in the second semifinal, with the winner facing Westchester. That winner will have to win twice over the Vikings to claim the Region XV crown, while Westchester only has to win one time. Should the Vikings lose the opener, the two teams will meet on Sunday in winner-take-all final game. All games will be played at Rockland Community College.

In the event of schedule changes due to weather, any updates will be posted on this website, and all Westchester Community College Athletic social media vehicles.