ENDICOTT, N.Y.-- Second-seeded University at Albany pinned up four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to a 8-1 win over third-seeded Stony Brook University in the first game of the 2009 America East Baseball Championship Thursday evening at Peter Sylvester Field in Endicott, N.Y. Later in the day, top-seeded Binghamton defeated #4 Vermont, 10-7, in a wild affair.
The Great Danes (25-29-1) and Bearcats (27-20) each advanced to the winners bracket and will face off against one another at 8 p.m. Friday for the right to move into the championship game on Saturday. The Seawolves (29-22) and Catamounts (22-32) play each other at 4 p.m. Friday and will fight for their lives, as the loser will be eliminated from the tournament and the winner survives for one more day.
In the second game of the evening, Pitcher of the Year Murphy Smith took the mound for the Bearcats, laboring through seven innings, giving up seven hits, five runs, including two of the earned variety. He also struck out seven Catamounts and walked a pair. Senior Greg Lane, who pitched the final two complete innings for the Bearcats, picked up the victory, his fifth of the season.
Vermont was held hitless until the fourth inning, when Jeff Nolet recorded an infield hit to third base, putting runners on first and second with two outs. The next batter struck out looking to end Vermont's best threat to score up to that point.
The Bearcats scored a run in each the first and second innings, before tacking on a pair of unearned runs in the fourth. Both runs scored on two errors on the same play. With runners on first and third, senior Kyle Klee hit to the pitcher, who overthrew second base, scoring Jim Calderone from third. On the centerfielder's throw from the outfield which soared over the third baseman's glove, C.J. Lukaszewski, who started the inning at first base, came around to cross the plate.
Vermont tied the game up at 4-4 in the top of the seventh on four hits and three errors. Senior Ethan Paquette started the top of the inning off with a single to center field. After Nolet struck out swinging, Tom Jackson reached on an overthrow by the shortstop. Brad Currier, who finished the night 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, kept the rally going with a single to center field, loading the bases. Finally, a Dave Soltis single to right field drove in the first Vermont run of the night. Jackson also came around from second to score on an error by the rightfielder. Two batters later, Corey Moylan batted in two more unearned runs with a single deep down the leftfield line.
The Catamounts picked up in the eighth where they left off in the seventh, scoring three more runs to make it a 7-4 ballgame. Two of the runs scored on a Currier triple to left center field, scoring Kelly and Nolet from first and second base. Kelly singled in Justin Milo the previous play.
Binghamton's six-run eighth frame made the difference in the game, though. Vermont starter Justin Albert came out to begin the inning, but ran out of gas, giving up three consecutive singles after striking out the first batter of the frame. The Catamounts used three more pitchers, but they didn't fare much better, throwing two wild pitches, intentionally walking two Bearcats and allowing all six runs to score before striking out Jeff Abrams to end the damage.
In the ninth, Lane shut down Vermont, setting down the side and allowing just a single walk to Milo.
"It was a very exciting college baseball game between two great teams,"
said the 2009 Coach of the Year Tim Sinicki of Binghamton. "We feel
very lucky to be advancing through to the winners bracket of the
tournament."
In the first game of the day, Stony Brook struck first with an unearned run in the top of the third
frame. With two outs in the inning, lead-off batter Brian Witkowski
doubled to center field. The next batter, Chad Marshall hit a grounder
to Albany shortstop Sean Donovan, who threw the ball away past first
base, allowing Marshall to reach third and Witkowski to score the first
run of the game.
Both pitchers cruised on until the bottom of the sixth when the Great Danes finally responded by tacking on four runs on Stony Brook starter Mike Errigo. Donovan led off the inning by tripling to right field, and Gary Pitcheralle drove him in with a sacrifice fly, also out to right field. Albany followed up with four straight hits, including two doubles before Marc Brown came on in relief for Errigo. Brown ended the Albany inning by inducing a ground out and a fly out to the first two batters he faced.
The Great Danes tacked on a run in the seventh and three more in the eighth to put the game out of reach for Stony Brook, 8-1. Great Dane second-team all-conference starting pitcher Dave Kubiak went a career-long eight innings and struck out a career-best eight Seawolves, earning the win for his stellar effort. First-team reliever Sean Gregory pitched the night inning to secure the Albany win.
Offensively, Donovan led Albany, going 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI. Senior Dave West went 3-for-3 in the five spot in the line-up, scoring two runs.
“If we continue to
play like this, we have a great chance,” said Albany head coach Jon
Mueller, who has led the Great Danes to the postseason tournament for
the third time in four seasons. “This was one of the better games we’ve
played all season. If we get a good pitching performance like we did
today, and erase some of the mental mistakes we made, we will be in
good shape.”
Witkowski and Steve Mazzurco, the 2008 tournament's Most Outstanding Player, each paced Stony Brook with two hits, and Witkowski scored the lone Seawolves run.
Day two's action begins at 4 p.m. on Friday from Sylvester Field. For complete tournament coverage, visit Championship Central at www.AmericaEast.com.