Purchase, NY -  The City College of New York baseball team will advance to the CUNY Athletic Conference Championship Series for the third straight season after defeating Lehman College in the First Round, 11-6. With the victory, the Beavers improve to 14-19 overall and will look to win its second straight conference title.

Lehman struck first in the contest, scoring a run in the top of the first inning on a fielding error. The Beavers answered quickly in the bottom of the inning with two runs. Sophomore Rich Cirigliano got the Beavers on the board with an RBI single up the middle and later stole home to hand the Beavers a 2-1 advantage.

Lehman regained the lead at the top of the third, adding two runs on Eli Fermin's two-run homer to the right field.

The Beavers's offense came alive in the third inning, raking in seven runs. A leadoff single from senior Tyler DiBlasi, followed by a base hit by sophomore Kevin Budzinski, set up Cirigliano for an RBI double to the gap in center field. Junior Michael Chasanov drove in two runs on a two-RBI double to left field to put the Beavers up 5-3. Freshman Colin Souther stacked up two more runs with a two-RBI homerun to left field. DiBlasi drove in the final two runs of the frame with a two-RBI triple to right field, extending CCNY's lead to 9-3.

In the fourth inning, Souther tallied his second hit of the afternoon with an RBI single to left field, 10-3. After two scoreless innings, sophomore Mike Savino drove in the Beavers' final run of the day with an RBI double to left field.

Junior right-handed pitcher Brandon Paider started on the rubber for the Beavers and gave 5.0 strong innings of work, allowing two earned runs, three hits, and striking out seven. DiBlasi led the Beavers's offense, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs in the victory. 

Next, CCNY will face off against the John Jay College Championship best-of-three series at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn, NY. The first two games of the series are scheduled for Saturday, May 11, starting at noon.