STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Senior 1B Zach Saunders (Adelphi, Md.) lined a home run to right leading off the top of the ninth, capping a late rally and giving Caldwell baseball an 8-7 victory over Staten Island (4-5) on Friday morning at SIUH Community Park.

The Cougars trailed, 7-1, entering the sixth, eventually tying the game in the visiting half of the eight with a four-run uprising. After narrowing the deficit to 7-4, the Cougars scored two on a wild pitch, including a daring sprint from second by senior DH Oscar Fajardo (Brentwood, N.Y.), before sophomore right fielder Stephen Young Jr. (Middlesex, N.J.) laced an opposite field RBI double over the outstretched glove of the Dolphins' right fielder, plating junior shortstop Sean Brown to knot the score at 7-7. Young fought off an 0-2 count in the at bat, eventually blasting a 2-2 fastball for the tying hit.

Then after sophomore righthander Brandon Scalisi (New City, N.Y) tossed a scoreless eighth, Saunders ripped one just off the top of the fence and over for the eventual game-winner.

In the home half of the ninth, Brown's nifty backhanded stop on a sharp grounder and subsequent pick of his throw by Saunders kept the leadoff hitter off base, and two outs later -- both on plays made by Brown -- the Cougars (1-1) had their first win of the season.

Scalisi (1-1) earned the victory with five scoreless innings of relief, entering in the fourth and permitting just two hits the rest of the way.

Junior left fielder Liam Lombardi (Stony Point, N.Y.) had three hits and scored two runs for the Cougars.

CU now travels to Florida for Spring Break, taking on Lynn University in Boca Raton on Monday at 3 p.m.