CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- Single-handedly responsible for two Hartford wins last week, Hawks sophomore infielder Bobby Gorski (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) was named America East Baseball Player of the Week for the period ending March 29. A pair of Stony Brook freshmen right-handed pitchers, Tyler Johnson (Chatsworth, Calif./Crespi Carmelite) and Nick Tropeano (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip), received the conference's Pitcher of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively, after picking up two combined victories in the Seawolves' 4-0 week.
Gorski is credited with both of Hartford’s wins last week, providing the walk-off hit in both games. Against Central Connecticut, the sophomore finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, but it was the second RBI in the bottom of the ninth inning that mattered most. With bases loaded, his hard-hit ball to third base produced the game-winning run. The next day against Sacred Heart, Gorski scored the tying run as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, and then hit his first collegiate grand slam in the ninth-inning over the left field fence for his second walk-off in as many games. For the week, Gorski finished with six RBI, four runs, three hits and three walks while batting .273.
Johnson tossed a complete game three-hit shutout in the Seawolves’ seven-inning 10-0 win over New York Tech on Saturday. The right-hander struck out a season-high eight batters and walked just two as he hurled his first career complete game. For the week, Johnson recorded a 1-0 record and a 0.00 ERA. He now has a 2-1 record for the season, along with a 5.56 ERA in 22.2 innings pitched.
Tropeano hurled a complete game four-hit shutout in the Seawolves’ seven-inning 6-0 victory over New York Tech on Saturday, the second game of a double-header. Tropeano did not allow a runner past first base, did not walk a batter and struck out six in the effort. In seven appearances this season, the rookie has a 3-0 record and a team-low 3.13 ERA.
Team Notebooks:
UAlbany (5-15 overall, 0-0 America East) went 3-2 last week in non-conference play... The Great Danes dropped a 9-2 decision to Marist on Wednesday and lost 2-0 in the first game against Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday before sweeping the next three games against the Knights... UAlbany posted scores of 6-4, 9-6 and 4-2 in the final games of the weekend... Senior centerfielder Dave West (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) posted a .263 average over five games last week... He recorded a team-high five hits and four RBI, with one double and one stolen base... West had three hits and three RBI and scored one run in a 9-6 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday... He also scored one run in a 6-4 win over FDU on Friday. West has a .258 average on the season and is second on the team with 17 hits and 11 RBI... Senior right hander Sean Gregory (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) made four appearances for the Great Danes last week, throwing six innings in relief... Gregory allowed just one hit and did not allow a run for a 0.00 ERA for the week... He issued just one walk and struck out six opposing batters... Gregory earned his first save of the season in a 6-4 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday, tossing 2.2 innings with three strikeouts... He went 1.2 frames against the Knights in the first half of a doubleheader sweep on Saturday, fanning one, and earned his second save of the weekend with a one-inning outing in the nightcap, dealing out one strikeout... Gregory has a team-high 10 appearances and 22 strikeouts on the season... The Great Danes will return to action on Wednesday on the road at Manhattan before kicking of America East Conference play over the weekend, hosting UMBC on Saturday and Sunday.
Binghamton (7-9, 0-0) went 1-2 in an abbreviated trip to the state of Connecticut. The lone win was a big one - a 20-0 victory over CCSU that represented the most runs the team has scored since pinning 34 runs on St. Peter's on March 22, 2005... Against CCSU, the Bearcats exploded for 20 runs on 24 hits in the opening game of a doubleheader. Already up 11-0, Binghamton sent 15 batters to the plate in a nine-run seventh inning, collecting two different sets of six straight hits. Sophomore center fielder Corey Taylor (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) led the barrage with a 3-for-3, four-RBI performance. Taylor belted a solo home run and a two-run shot...Senior third baseman Kyle Klee (Rochester, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit HS) went 3-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored... Sophomore right fielder Peter Bregartner (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) went 4-for-5 with three RBI. Bregartner went 6-for-13 (.462) in the three games during the week and enjoyed an .846 slugging percentage... Junior starter Murphy Smith (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa HS) continued his outstanding early spring with another victory on the hill. Smith (4-1) shut down CCSU on three hits over six innings, with six strikeouts and one walk. He is on an early pace to break the program's single-season wins record (7), held by former America East Pitcher of the Year Zach Groh. Excluding Smith's start against nationally-ranked New Mexico, he is 4-0 with a minuscule 1.00 ERA...After a midweek game at Marist, Binghamton welcomes Hartford to open the America East slate. The Bearcats have won the last two regular season titles and own the best conference win percentage over the last five years (65-43, .663).
The Hartford baseball team (3-13, 0-0) finished five home games with a 2-3 record, with both wins coming on walk-off hits from sophomore infielder Bobby Gorski (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) ... In the home opener, the Hawks dropped an 8-4 decision to Boston College ... The Hawks tied the game in the eighth innings on a three-run double from senior infielder Ben Sobocinski (Waldorf, Md./McDonough), but reliever Cory Beahm (Burtonsville, Md./St. John’s) gave up four runs in the top of the ninth that the Hawks wouldn’t be able to answer ... Hartford then dropped a 6-4 decision to the UMass Minutemen on Wednesday with Andy Drexel (East Lyme, Conn./Catawba College), who finished 2-for-4 with two RBI ... On Friday, Hartford welcomed in-state rival Central Connecticut to the Hartford baseball field ... Groski provided both the game-tying run and the game-winning RBI against Central ... in the eighth, Gorski walked with one out and was able to score on the next at bat a triple to left center from Andrew Siano (Springfield, Mass./Cathedral) ... Gorski then came up with the bases loaded in the ninth and sent a hard hit ball towards the third baseman, which allowed Drexel to score the game-winning run ... In the first game of the doubleheader against Sacred Heart, Gorski again provided the heroics, this time with an eighth inning walk-off grand slam ... In the final game of the weekend, the Hawks forced extra innings against Sacred Heart ... In the eighth inning against the Pioneers, Mike Amendola (North Babylon, N.Y./Suffolk CC) sent his second home run of the day over the left field fence tying the game at three ... Hawks reliever Bob Rogers (Fairfield, Conn./Avon Old Farms) then allowed four runs in the top of the ninth, which allowed Pioneer’s closer James Ineson to shutdown the Hawks in the bottom half of the inning. Hartford welcomes the Connecticut Huskies to the Hartford baseball field on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. before opening America East Conference play with a four-game series at Binghamton University on Saturday and Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
The University of Maine (12-10, 0-0) baseball team has been plagued by rain all weekend... Maine had a doubleheader at Wagner rained out on Saturday... The doubleheader was rescheduled for Sunday and it was rained out again... The Black Bears and Seahawks are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Monday starting at 1 p.m... In Maine’s lone game of the week, senior Danny Menendez (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) went 3-for-5 with an RBI... Menendez also stole his team-leading 10th base of the season in the game... The 10 stolen bases ties his career high as he also stole 10 bases during the 2008 season... Menendez leads all Black Bears having seen action in 88 consecutive games... Tony Patane (New Milford, Conn/New Milford) hit a pair of doubles in the game against Wagner on Friday and has a team-high six doubles on the season... Eight of Maine’s nine starters in the game on Friday against Wagner had at least one hit.... Maine has turned 30 doubles plays on the season in 22 games... Kevin McAvoy (Brewer, Maine/Brewer) and Jarrett Lukas (Old Town, Maine) each have an 11-game hitting streak for the Black Bears... Maine returns home next weekend when it hosts a four-game series with Iona.
UMBC (4-13, 0-0) baseball team had a tough week last week, dropping all five decisions. The Retrievers lost at Mount St. Mary’s and Maryland, before being swept at home by Fairfield in a three-game series... UMBC has three hitters averaging .350 of more including senior Shawn Retz () at .414, freshman Max Himmelstein () at .362 and senior Brad Brainer () at .353... Senior Tom Meaney () hit his fourth home run of year against Fairfield on Saturday and now leads the team with 20 RBI. The Retrievers return to action Tuesday at George Washington at 3 p.m., before traveling to Albany to begin America East Conference play Saturday and Sunday.
The Seawolves (9-8, 0-0) went 4-0 on the week, opening with a come from behind victory over the Fordham Rams before taking three games from New York Tech over the weekend ... the Seawolves have won seven of their last eight games ... Stony Brook scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Rams to rally from a 10-7 deficit for an 11-10 win ... Senior Michael Tansey tied the game with a two-run double before junior Rob Dyer knocked in the go-ahead run with a run-scoring single ... the Seawolves then defeated New York Tech, 11-3, on Friday in the opening game of the four-game series ... senior Brian Witkowski went 4-for-5 with a career-high six RBI, including a three-run home run ... Witkowski is hitting .519 with 14 RBI and nine runs scored in his last seven games ... the Seawolves then beat New York Tech, 10-0, in the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday ... Freshman Tyler Johnson hurled a three-hit shutout, striking out eight while walking just two ... Stony Brook then completed the doubleheader sweep of New York Tech with a 6-0 victory in the second game ... freshman Nick Tropeano hurled a four-hit shutout as he did not allow a New York Tech runner past first base ... Tropeano struck out six and did not walk a batter ... the final game of the series, scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. was postponed to Monday at 3:30 p.m. because of inclement weather.
Vermont (4-14, 0-0) won one of its three games last weekend topping Sacred Heart Friday before falling twice at Central Connecticut Saturday ... ... Mark Micowski (Haddam, Conn./Xavier) hit .444 with a homer, two RBI, three runs scored and three stolen bases on the weekend. ... Micowski extended his hitting streak to 16 games to tie the UVM school record set by Steve Mammola '89 in 1989, Jim Wawruck '91 in 1990 and Frank Rossi '07 in 2005 ... The sophomore center fielder leads the team and is among the America East leaders with a .423 average, 15 runs scored, seven doubles and 11 stolen bases ... Joe Serafin (Tariffville, Conn./Simsbury) improved to 2-3 picking up the win at Sacred Heart with six and two-third strong innings striking out seven ... It was the senior lefthander's 19th career victory, now third all-time at UVM, and he also moved into third place with 223 strikeouts ... The Catamounts hit three home runs on the weekend including freshman Mike McCarthy (Wallingford, Conn./Lyman Hall) hitting his team-high fourth of the year at Quinnipiac Saturday ... Jeff Nolet (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) hit .429 on the weekend and the senior catcher has hit safely in six straight and 12 of his last 13 games ... Vermont opens its America East schedule with a four-game series at Stony Brook. The Catamounts and Seawolves meet in doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday starting at 1 p.m.