Stony Brook, N.Y.-- Second-seeded University of Maine punched its ticket to the championship round of the 2011 America East Baseball Championship with an 8-1 win over top-seeded Stony Brook University Thursday afternoon at Joe Nathan Field. The Seawolves will face University at Albany at 11 a.m. Friday and the winner will advance to play the Black Bears at 3 p.m. The winner of the four-team, double-elimination tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.
Albany staved off elimination by defeating Binghamton, 4-1, in the first game of Thursday's action. The Great Danes, the tournament's fourth seed, scored twice in each the eighth and ninth innings to rally from a deficit.
Maine pulled the upset with a 8-1 win over top-seeded Stony Brook in the winner's bracket game. Black Bear sophomore Jeff Gibbs (7-5), a second-team all-conference starting pitcher, threw six innings of one-hit ball. He struck out four, and walked five batters, including four in the fifth. The Seawolves' only hit of the game came in the first inning, a double by America East Player of the Year William Carmona.
Black Bear rookie Alex Calbick had a career day with two hits, including a grand slam just inside the right field pole in the bottom of the eighth inning, and five RBIs. Sophomore Michael Fransoso finished with three RBIs and two runs during a 3-for-4 afternoon which included a two-run home run to right field in the fifth inning.
Stony Brook's first-team all-conference pitcher Tyler Johnson (9-3), a junior, lasted 7.2 innings and struck out six Black Bears, but allowed seven earned runs on seven hits.
Maine scored the first run of the day in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Justin Leisenheimer doubled to right centerfield, which Calbick followed with a double to left center, scoring Leisenheimer. Johnson induced two straight ground outs to third base to limit the Black Bears in that inning.
Gibbs got into a jam in the top of the fifth inning. He got the first out of the inning when Tanner Nivins grounded out to third base. Travis Jankowski walked, advanced to second on Gibbs' errant pick-off attempt, stole third, and then scored on a high throw from the catcher. Shook up, Gibbs walked the next three Seawolves to load the bases. Gibbs escaped with no further damage when Stony Brook's Chad Marshall grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
The Black Bears responded in the bottom of the inning with two runs. Taylor Lewis singled to left with two outs, followed by Fransoso's home run to make it a 4-1 game until Calbick's grand slam in the eighth.
Albany freshman rightfielder Josh Nethaway finished the day 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run, while designated hitter Mike Tirri went 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs out of the cleanup spot. Great Dane starting pitcher Zach Kraham (5-6) went the distance, throwing nine innings without allowing an earned run. Kraham struck out five and scattered eight hits.
Binghamton senior Pete Bregartner, the right fielder, led the Bearcats with a 3-for-4 afternoon, including two doubles and an RBI. Bearcat starter Mike Augliera (6-5), a first-team all-conference hurler, surrendered two earned runs and nine hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked three.
For the second straight day, the Bearcats scored the first run but were not able to hold on to the lead. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, junior Dave Ciocchi reached base on a fielding error by Albany's third baseman Ralph Rizzo. After Ciocchi stole second, the next batter, Bregartner, drove a single through the left side of the field to score the run. Bregartner also stole second base, but Corey Taylor flied out to right field on the next play.
Despite the 1-0 score for much of the game, there wasn't a baserunner drought. Albany and Binghamton stranded 17 runners on base through the first seven innings, but neither team could capitalize on chances.
Albany finally shook up Augliera in the eighth with back-to-back hits, including Nethaway's RBI single which scored Tirri from second base. Binghamton inserted freshman Chris Nagorski on the mound to replace Augliera after the shaky start to the inning. D.J. Hoagboon moved Nethaway over to second base on a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher, and Rob Cervini singled to left field to put Great Danes on the corners. Another sacrifice bunt, by Rizzo, scored Nethaway from third base and give Albany the 2-1 lead.
Nagorski returned to the mound in the ninth where Nolan Gaige reached base on an error by the shortstop and Kyle Crean advanced Gaige to second on a sacrifice back to Nagorski. The Bearcats lifted Nagorski for first-team all-conference reliever Zach Juliano, who didn't fare any better, allowing three hits and one more run to cross the plate.
In the home halves of the eighth and ninth, Binghamton left three men on base and couldn't push a runner across to keep its season alive.