STATEN ISLAND, NY – The Cairn Baseball team traveled to the Big Apple Wednesday night, taking on New York University Staten Island University Hospital Community Park, home of the Staten Island FerryHawks, for their final non-conference matchup before heading to the postseason this weekend.
 
Cairn (24-16) took the lead in the first as fifth year Tyler Fox (Boyertown, PA / West-Mont Christian Academy) singled to left with one out. Junior first baseman Tyler Warr (Langhorne, PA / Neshaminy) doubled, putting two runners in scoring position. Sophomore catcher Zach Bauers (Cooper City, FL / Cooper City) scored Fox on a sacrifice fly.
 
NYU (26-13) tied thing up in the third on back-to-back hits. Neither team could scratch across a run until the Violet took the lead in the bottom of the eighth on a single and throwing error.
 
Five different Highlanders had hits on the night with Warr having the only extra base hits. Junior righty Ronaldinho Alcin (Miami, FL / North Miami Beach SHS) got the start, going two scoreless innings with three strikeouts on the staff day. Sophomore reliever Greg Jessup (Tyler, TX / McKinney Christian) threw a scoreless fifth inning with a strikeout as junior lefty Joe Battaglia (Franklin, TN / Brentwood Academy) hurled a pair of scoreless innings allowing only two hits.
 
The No. 2 Highlanders will head up to No. 1 Keystone College for Friday's opening matchup with No. 3 Wilson College on Friday at 3 p.m. to kick off the 2024 United East Baseball Championship – Divisional Round.