ALBANY, N.Y. – Facing the reigning
America East champions and 2012 College World Series participants, the
University at Albany baseball team was all but intimidated by the Stony Brook
Seawolves Saturday afternoon at Varsity Field. The Great Danes started their
home-opening doubleheader off with a walk-off, 5-4, win in game one, and ended
with a, 9-6, series clinching victory in the nightcap.
With the
wins, UAlbany is now 10-13 on the season and 6-4 in America East play, while the
Seawolves fell to 9-19 overall and 4-6 in conference action.
Game one
starter, sophomore Cameron Sorgie, could not have begun any better
on the mound, as he struck the first four batters that he faced. However, Stony
Brook finally got ahold of a few pitches in the second inning, lining a double
and single, before taking a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to
centerfield.
While Sorgie
continued to mow down the Seawolves, Stony Brook tagged UAlbany with a double,
triple, and run-scoring single to take a 3-0 lead in the third. While Sorgie
pitched just three frames in the no-decision, the right-hander logged a
career-high eight strikeouts.
Reliever Austin Chase came out of the pen to toss the
final four frames and earn the win. Holding Stony Brook without a hit until the
sixth, Chase limited the Seawolves to just one run and two hits, while striking
out two in his outing. With two outs and a runner on first, Chase attempted a
pickoff, but the throw was high, allowing SBU’s Steven Goldstein to move to
third and then home on another wild throw on the same play.
However,
despite a 4-0 deficit, the Great Danes came roaring back in the bottom of the
sixth. Freshman Matt Hinchy and junior Brian Bullard led things off with back-to-back
singles into the outfield. With two outs, sophomore Gordon Madej ripped a single up the middle,
scoring both base runners. Tying the ballgame, junior Josh Nethaway immediately followed with a two-run
home run over the centerfield wall, making the score 4-4.
Chase held
the Seawolves off the board in the last inning of the seven-frame game, setting
up UAlbany’s final at-bats. Right away, Muller led off with a single through the
left side and moved up to second on reliever Tim Knesnik’s wild pitch. Pinch
runner Adam Mund replaced the senior at second and it
proved worthy, as rookie Evan Harasta knocked home the game-winning run in
walk-off style with a bullet down the left field line.
Madej
(2-for-3) led the squad with two hits and two runs batted in, while Nethaway
also had two RBI and went 1-for-3 in the opener.
In
game two, the Great Danes picked up where they left off, scoring six unanswered
runs in the first three frames. In the second, Nethaway and Muller led off the
inning with consecutive singles, and moved into scoring position on Jeff Welsh’s sac bunt. UAlbany’s hero of game
one, Harasta, put the Danes on the board again with an RBI single to right
field. With two outs, the rally continued as Craig Lepre drew a walk off starter Brandon
McNitt, loading the bases. Senior Nolan Gaige took full advantage of the situation,
belting a triple to deep centerfield, clearing the bases and giving UAlbany a
4-0 head start.
In
the third, the Great Danes tacked on two more runs, as a leadoff error proved to
be costly for the Seawolves. Madej reached on an errant throw, Nethaway followed
with a single through the left side, and Muller dropped down a bunt single. A
late wild throw to first allowed the junior to advance to second, while also
scoring Madej. A fielder’s choice put runners on the corners for UAlbany, which
played out well for the Danes, as Welsh and Nethaway converted a double steal
for a 6-0 lead.
Stony Brook
broke onto the board in the fourth on a two-run home run by Kevin Courtney.
However, the Great Danes earned the runs back in the bottom of the seventh when
Welsh ripped a two-out double, plating Madej and Muller who reached on a walk
and hit by pitch, respectively.
With the
Danes leading 8-2, Stony Brook did not surrender easily, scoring two runs in the
eighth on another Courtney home run. UAlbany took back one run in the bottom of
the frame, sparked by Hinchy’s leadoff triple.
In
the ninth, the Seawolves continued to battle, loading the bases with no outs on
two singles and a fielding error. A walk scored a run, before right-hander Derek Zielinski took the mound. With the tying
run at the plate, Zielinski allowed a sac fly, making the score 9-6, before
striking out the final two batters for the save.
On
the mound for UAlbany, Kasceim Graham (4-3) earned the win, tossing six
and a third innings, holding SBU to two runs and five hits, while striking out
six. Andrew Jaurique threw one and two-thirds out of
the pen, allowing four runs (one earned), three hits, while striking out one,
before Zielinski closed the nightcap.
Offensively,
the Great Danes totaled 11 hits in the victory led by Muller’s 3-for-3 effort
with two runs scored and an RBI. Gaige (2-for-5) and Nethaway (2-for-4) both
finished with multiple hits, while Gaige also recorded a game-high three
RBI.
UAlbany will look to capture their first
series sweep of the season on Sunday when they host the Seawolves for a single
game at noon on Varsity Field.
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment