American East Conference

Bearcats and Seawolves Advance To Winners' Bracket of Baseball Championship

5/22/2008 4:00:00 AM

America East Communications

FARMINGDALE, N.Y.-- Binghamton and Stony Brook will play Friday night at 7:05 p.m. in a winners' bracket match-up of the 2008 America East Baseball Championship by virtue of their wins over Vermont and UMBC on Thursday at Farmingdale State College. Either the Catamounts or the Retrievers will go home on Friday in an elimination game within the losers' bracket beginning at 3:05 p.m.

In the first game, Binghamton senior Zach Groh won the match-up between First-Team All-Conference starting pitchers. Groh tied his season-high of 10 strikeouts to pick up the 4-1 win over #4 Vermont and move the #1 Bearcats into the winners' bracket.

For Vermont, junior lefty Joe Serafin threw his fourth consecutive complete game, but ended up on the losing end of the decision. He did not allow a hit until the sixth inning or an earned run until the seventh inning.

Binghamton got on the score board first in the bottom of the opening frame. Rookie of the Year Peter Bregartner walked to open the inning, and Ryan James put down a bunt to advance Bregartner. A throwing error on the Vermont third baseman shooting for the fielders' choice at second moved Bregartner to third. The next play, a double play ball, scored the rookie.

Bearcats shortstop Kyle Klee broke up Serafin's no-hitter with a two-out single between third and short in the bottom of the sixth inning. Klee, however, did not advance past first base as the next batter popped up high to Vermont shortstop Matt Duffy.

Duffy drove in Vermont's first run in the top of the seventh. Kyle Massie started the inning with a single straight up the middle, and then Justin Milo advanced Massie to second base on a sacrifice bunt down the first base line. Duffy hit a hard liner to center field, deep enough for Massie to take two bases and score from second. An Ethan Paquette single, and a walk to Miguel Migrass loaded the bases, still with one out. Groh got out of the jam by mowing down both Kyle Henry and Jeff Nolet, both swinging.

Binghamton rookie Brian Ivan broke the 1-1 tie with a solo homer over the left field wall, located 322 feet down the line. After allowing two singles to follow, Serafin found himself having to get out of a jam with runners on first and second and one out. A 6-4-3 double play did the trick, but the Catamounts still found themselves down, 2-1.

Groh got a line out before walking Micowski in the visitor's half of the eighth. First-Team All-Conference relief pitcher Greg Lane stepped in to retire Massie and Milo to end the inning. With the exception of a Duffy single, Lane shut down the Catamounts to close out the game for his 11th save of the season. That save total leads the America East.

Meanwhile, the Bearcats added to their lead in the bottom of the eighth. Binghamton's Ryan Holley jacked a two-run home run off a 2-2 pitch over the fence in right field to make the final score 4-1.

In the day's second game, Seawolf catcher Justin Echevarria hit a double in the bottom of the ninth inning off of UMBC's Austin Drewyer to bring home the game-winning run in a dramatic 4-3 victory. Jeremy Nowak picked up the win pitching an inning of relief, while Drewyer received the loss.

Stony Brook struck for the game's first run in the bottom of the second inning. Steve Mazzurco ripped a double just inside the line in right field, and then came around to cross home plate on a Steve Marino RBI single through the right side of the infield during the next at-bat. Retriever starter Dan Blewett got out of the inning with a double play two batters later. The Seawolves tacked on one run in both the fourth and the sixth innings to take a 3-0 lead.

The Retrievers battled back in the seventh, getting to Stony Brook starter Tom Koehler with three hits and two runs batted in. Rich Conlon picked up two RBI on a single up to right center with two outs. Jordan Purington came in to relieve Koehler of his duties on the mound and got Brad Brainer to ground out to shortstop. Koehler finished the evening with nine strikeouts.

Purington got into trouble in the top of the eighth when he walked back-to-back Retrievers after getting two quick fly outs. Wink Nolan singled up the middle of the diamond to pick up a RBI and tie the game at 3-3. Purington used a strikeout to get out of the inning, and Nowak came into the game in the ninth to strike out the side.

In the bottom of the ninth frame, Michael Tansey, previously 0-for-3 on the night, hit a double and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. However, Tansey was tagged out at home plate after Keith Fier made contact. Fier reached base on the fielder's choice, and came around to score the winning run in the very next at bat on Echevarria's double.