SWEEP! UAlbany Baseball Wins, 4-3, In Stony Brook Series Finale

ALBANY, N.Y. – Scoring all four runs in the fourth inning, the University at Albany baseball team completed the program’s first-ever series sweep over the visiting Stony Brook Seawolves, winning 4-3 Sunday afternoon at Varsity Field. With the three straight home victories, the Great Danes improve to 11-13 on the season and 7-5 in America East conference clashes, while Stony Brook, the 2012 College World Series participants, fall to 9-21 overall and 4-8 in league play. Coming out of the pen for three and two-thirds innings, junior Kevin Archbold (1-0) recorded his first career win, holding SBU to a .118 average with two hits and two runs, while tying his career-high with six strikeouts. Redshirt sophomore Stephen Carey earned the save, limiting the Seawolves to one hit, while striking out one in the final two scoreless innings. Offensively, the Great Danes totaled five hits on the afternoon led by sophomore Gordon Madej (2-for-3) and Josh Nethaway’s (2-for-4) multi-hit efforts. Freshman Matt Hinchy also recorded a hit, while senior Jeff Welsh logged an RBI. After falling 5-4 and 9-6 in the first two games of the series, Stony Brook looked to shift momentum into their favor in the first inning. With one out, the Seawolves loaded the bases as UAlbany starter Ryan Stinar allowed a single to left and then walked two consecutive batters. A wild pitch allowed one run to score, but Stinar settled in and recorded a strikeout and flyout to limit the damage. Trailing 1-0, UAlbany rallied in the bottom of the fourth, spoiling starter Daniel Zamora’s perfect game and no-hitter. Through three perfect innings, leadoff batter Nolan Gaige took a pitch in the back moved to second on Greg Muller’s walk. Madej immediately followed with a perfectly placed bunt, loading the bases and breaking up the no-hitter. Rattled, Zamora gave up another hit to Nethaway, a liner to right field, plating Gaige. The Great Danes took the lead, 2-0, on a pitch to the backstop. With runners on second and third, D.J. Hoagboon’s grounder to second wreaked havoc, as the Seawolves tried to get the lead runner at home but overthrew, allowing another run to score. The Great Danes capped the four-run frame with Welsh’s RBI groundout to shortstop. Stony Brook answered with one run in the fifth, as Kevin Caputo singled up the middle, moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a passed ball, before scoring on a fielder’s choice. The Seawolves made the score 4-3 in the sixth, following a leadoff fielding error. The runner, Austin Shives, moved to third on two wild pitches and scored on Cole Peragine’s RBI single through the left side. However, with runners on the corners and one out, the Great Danes defense stifled the rally, getting the lead runner in a pickle for out number two, and Archbold delivered a strikeout to end the side. From there, UAlbany’s dense held tough, not allowing a runner past second base in the final three frames. The Great Danes have now won five straight games and look to keep the momentum going into Tuesday’s non-conference contest at Marist. UAlbany will then return to league play next weekend at Binghamton.