Vestal, N.Y. – Sophomore pitcher Greg Lutton
threw 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief as UAlbany upended Binghamton, 7-4, in
an elimination game at the America East Conference Baseball Championship on
Friday afternoon at Binghamton’s Varsity Field. The Great Danes, who
advanced to the championship round for the third time in the last four years,
will take on Stony Brook at 3:00 p.m. with conference title on the line.
Binghamton (31-20) chased
UAlbany starter Ryan White in the fifth by scoring twice to take a 4-3
lead. Joe Charron singled and later scored on a passed ball. Peter
Bregartner, who also singled, came across on designated hitter Mike Thompson’s
ground out.
UAlbany (13-39) tied
the contest in the sixth when Ralph Keppler led off the frame with his fourth
home run of the season, a solo blast over the left-field fence. The Great
Danes, who entered the tournament as the fourth seed, went in front with three
runs in the seventh. Nolan Gaige started the uprising with single and
would score the go-ahead run on an error. Shortstop Kyle Crean, who had three
hits and scored a pair, later smacked a two-run single to center field.
A second-team
all-conference pitcher, Lutton got out of trouble in the eighth when Charron
hit into an inning-ending double play. Lutton, who allowed just four hits
with two strikeouts and one walk, picked up his third win of the season with a
solid 62-pitch performance.
Catcher C.J. Lukazewski
singled three times in four plate appearances for the Bearcats, who won the
conference’s regular-season crown to earn the No. 1 seed. The top two
seeds did not reach the America East championship round for the first time
since 2003.