NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – May 6, 2025 — The top-seeded City College of New York Beavers punched their ticket to the CUNYAC Baseball Championship Series for the fourth straight season with a 10-7 win over fourth-seeded Lehman College in the opening round of the 2025 CUNYAC Baseball Championships, held at Dick Caswell Field at Flowers Park.

Despite a valiant late-game rally from Lehman, CCNY used timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to seize control midway through the game and never looked back.

Lehman struck first with a run in the opening inning, but CCNY responded with a four-run third inning highlighted by an RBI double from junior Kevin Budzinski and a two-run single from senior Michael Chasanov. The Beavers would extend their lead in the fifth and sixth innings, including Budzinski stealing home as part of a dynamic two-run sixth that pushed their lead to 7–2.

CCNY tacked on three more runs in the seventh, with freshmen Gerard Molinaro and Jason Roser driving in runs to give the Beavers a commanding 10–4 lead.

Lehman showed fight in the ninth, scoring three runs on five hits, including RBI knocks from Eli Fermin, Ryan Rosa, and Leniel Rivera. But reliever Brandon Paider held on to secure the win for the Beavers.

Junior Erik Rank (6–1) earned the victory for CCNY, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing four earned runs on six hits. Lehman's Justin Chamorro (1–9) was tagged with the loss after surrendering nine runs over 6.1 innings of work.

Offensively, Budzinski led CCNY with two hits with a double and a triple, along with three RBIs, and two runs scored. Senior Mike Savino added two hits, two runs, and a stolen base, while Molinaro reached base three times and drove in a run.

With the win, CCNY improves to 12–12 and will advance to the CUNYAC Championship best-of-three series, facing off against the John Jay/Baruch College first-round matchup winner. The series' first two games are scheduled for Friday, May 9, starting at noon at Reinhart Baseball Field at Maritime College in Throggs Neck, NY.