FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - Mount Saint Mary College conceded three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to fall to St. Joseph's College, 5-3, in Saturday's loser's bracket game of the Skyline Conference Tournament.  The Knights (21-17) were eliminated from the tournament.

Trailing 1-0 after three, the Knights tied the game in the fourth.  Senior John Conroy (Middletown, N.Y.) tripled to the gap in left-center and then scored on wild pitch to make it 1-1.  Then, in the fifth, sophomore Chris Chieffo (Waterbury, N.Y.) tripled to right-center with one out.  Freshman Alex Velardi (Branford, Conn.) followed with a double down the left field line to give the Knights the lead.  MSMC stranded runners at the corners in the inning, two of the nine runners the Knights would leave on base in the contest.

The Golden Eagles tied the game with one run in the seventh, but the Knights had a quick answer.  Sophomore Vinnie Carminati (Huntington, N.Y.) drew a walk and then moved to second on a single from junior Paul Cherubino (Middletown, N.Y.).  Carminati advanced to third on a fielder's choice and then scored on a St. Joe's passed ball.

The one-run lead would not hold up, however, as St. Joseph's answered with three runs in the bottom of the eight.  The Golden Eagles tied the game on a two-out single and took the lead on an MSMC error.  Another two-out single ensued, allowing SJC to seize a 5-3 advantage.

Velardi drew a one-out walk in the top of the ninth, but junior Michael Matuk (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) flew out to right field and Conroy grounded back to the pitcher to end the game.

Cherubino recorded two of the Mount's five hits and Velardi (1-for-4) recorded the only RBI.  Freshman pitcher Brandon Lubrano (Mineola, N.Y.) turned in an excellent performance, allowing just three earned runs and eight hits over 7.2 innings.  The rookie, who was hung with a tough loss, tossed 101 pitches on just two days of rest.

The Knights will await a potential selection to the ECAC Metro Region Tournament.