Albany Eliminates Top-Ranked Northeastern from Baseball Championship
Adam Kroft pitched a complete-game four-hitter to lead Albany to an 8-1 win over Northeastern in an elimination game at the America East Baseball Championship at Mahaney Diamond. The Great Danes, 37-13, play the loser of this afternoon’s game between Maine and Stony Brook, later this evening.
Kroft struck out 11 and walked one and allowed just one run, a solo home run by Jeff Heriot in the seventh inning. The right-hander improved to 8-3.
Albany scored four runs in the first inning, thanks in large part to the wildness of Northeastern starter Devin Monds. Monds issued back-to-back walks to Joe Lamb and Steve Wyland to leadoff the inning and Dan Schoonmaker followed with a bunt single to load the bases. Jason Martin doubled down the left field line to score Lamb and Wyland. After a groundout, Monds hit Brendan Chiavaro to load the bases and then walked Justin Meagher to force in another run. Adam Ottavino relieved Monds, who allowed four runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning, and Craig Farley delivered a run with a fielder’s choice.
Albany increased the lead to 8-0 in the sixth inning. when Wyland and Schoonmaker walked with two outs. Back-to-back singles by Martin and Derek DeGrazio delivered two runs. Martin then scored when Chiavaro reached on an error and Meagher plated DeGrazio with a single to right center.
Monds fell to 5-4 for the top-seeded Huskies, who complete their season at 28-20. Ottavio allowed four hits and four runs while striking out six and walking seven in 5.1 innings. Jim Madison pitched 2.1 innings of no-hit relief, striking out one and walking one.
Northeastern 1 (28-20)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
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Steinberg lf............. 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1
Czarnowski rf............ 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0
Heriot cf................ 4 1 1 1 0 3 2 0 0
Paquette 1b.............. 4 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 0
Bush 3b.................. 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
Maher dh................. 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0
Morizio c................ 3 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 0
Sidhu ss................. 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 2
Murray 2b................ 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0
Monds p.................. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ottavino p.............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Madison p............... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Totals................... 30 1 4 1 1 11 24 6 3
University at Albany 8 (37-13)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
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LAMB, Joe ss............. 2 1 0 0 3 0 3 4 0
WYLAND, Steve 2b......... 3 2 0 0 2 1 0 3 0
SCHOONMAKER, Dan 3b...... 2 2 1 0 3 0 1 2 0
MARTIN, Jason c.......... 5 2 2 3 0 0 10 1 1
DEGRAZIO, Derek 1b....... 4 1 2 1 1 0 8 0 0
CHIAVARO, Brendan dh..... 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3
VALLONE, Tony pr/dh..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MEAGHER, Justin rf....... 2 0 1 2 2 1 2 0 0
FARLEY, Craig lf......... 4 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 3
DANIELS, Brad cf......... 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2
KROFT, Adam p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 29 8 6 7 11 7 27 10 9
Score by Innings R H E
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Northeastern........ 000 000 100 - 1 4 1
University at Albany 400 004 00X - 8 6 1
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E - Bush; Schoonmaker. DP - Northeastern 1; Albany 2. LOB - Northeastern 3;
Albany 9. 2B - Martin. HR - Heriot(12). HBP - Chiavaro. SB - Murray; Lamb;
Schoonmaker.
Northeastern IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
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Monds............... 0.1 2 4 4 3 0 3 7
Ottavino............ 5.1 4 4 2 7 6 20 27
Madison............. 2.1 0 0 0 1 1 6 7
University at Albany IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
KROFT, Adam......... 9.0 4 1 1 1 11 30 31
Win - Kroft (8-3). Loss - Monds (5-4). Save - None.
HBP - by Monds (Chiavaro).
Umpires - HP: Nick Zibelli 1B: Steve Ricciarini 2B: Joe Cacciatore 3B: Don
January Start: 12:00 Time: 2:19 Attendance:
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Play-by-Play
Northeastern starters: 19/lf Steinberg; 17/rf Czarnowski; 44/cf Heriot;
31/1b Paquette; 45/3b Bush; 1/dh Maher; 11/c Morizio; 3/ss Sidhu; 2/2b
Murray; 21/p Monds;
University at Albany starters: 2/ss Lamb; 23/2b Wyland; 7/3b Schoonmaker;
28/c Martin; 9/1b DeGrazio; 33/dh Chiavaro; 11/rf Meagher; 1/lf Farley;
3/cf Daniels; 31/p Kroft;
Northeastern - inning 1
Steinberg singled to right center. Czarnowski grounded into double play
2b to ss to 1b; Steinberg out on the play. Heriot struck out swinging. 0
runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
University at Albany - inning 1
Lamb walked. Wyland walked; Lamb advanced to second. Schoonmaker singled
to third base, bunt; Wyland advanced to second; Lamb advanced to third.
Martin doubled down the rf line, 2 RBI; Schoonmaker advanced to third;
Wyland scored; Lamb scored. DeGrazio grounded out to 1b unassisted.
Chiavaro hit by pitch. Meagher walked, RBI; Chiavaro advanced to second;
Martin advanced to third; Schoonmaker scored. Ottavino to p for Monds.
Farley reached on a fielder's choice, RBI; Meagher out at second 2b to
ss; Chiavaro advanced to third; Martin scored. Daniels struck out
swinging. 4 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 2
Paquette grounded out to ss. Bush flied out to cf. Maher singled to right
field. Morizio reached on an error by 3b; Maher advanced to second. Sidhu
lined out to 3b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.
University at Albany - inning 2
Lamb walked. Wyland struck out swinging; Lamb stole second. Schoonmaker
walked. Martin grounded out to 1b unassisted; Schoonmaker advanced to
second; Lamb advanced to third. DeGrazio walked. Chiavaro struck out
swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 3
Murray fouled out to lf. Steinberg lined out to rf. Czarnowski grounded
out to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
University at Albany - inning 3
Meagher walked. Farley struck out swinging. Daniels flied out to cf.
Meagher out at first p to 1b, picked off. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0
LOB.
Northeastern - inning 4
Heriot struck out swinging. Paquette struck out swinging. Bush grounded
out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
University at Albany - inning 4
Lamb flied out to rf. Wyland flied out to lf. Schoonmaker walked.
Schoonmaker stole second. Martin grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0
errors, 1 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 5
Maher struck out swinging, out at first c to 1b. Morizio struck out
swinging. Sidhu struck out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
University at Albany - inning 5
DeGrazio singled up the middle. Chiavaro struck out looking. Meagher
struck out swinging. Farley popped up to 3b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1
LOB.
Northeastern - inning 6
Murray flied out to cf. Steinberg flied out to rf. Czarnowski struck out
swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
University at Albany - inning 6
Daniels flied out to cf. Lamb grounded out to 2b. Wyland walked.
Schoonmaker walked; Wyland advanced to second. Martin singled to right
field, RBI; Schoonmaker advanced to third; Wyland scored. DeGrazio
singled to center field, RBI; Martin advanced to second; Schoonmaker
scored. Chiavaro reached on an error by 3b; DeGrazio advanced to third;
Martin scored, unearned. Meagher singled to right center, RBI; Chiavaro
advanced to second; DeGrazio scored, unearned. Vallone pinch ran for
Chiavaro. Madison to p for Ottavino. Farley reached on a fielder's
choice; Meagher out at second ss to 2b. 4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 7
Vallone to dh. Heriot homered to right center, RBI. Paquette popped up to
ss. Bush struck out looking. Maher struck out swinging. 1 run, 1 hit, 0
errors, 0 LOB.
University at Albany - inning 7
Daniels struck out looking. Lamb walked. Wyland lined into double play ss
unassisted; Lamb out on the play. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 8
Morizio struck out swinging. Sidhu grounded out to 3b. Murray singled to
right field. Murray stole second. Steinberg grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 1
hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
University at Albany - inning 8
Schoonmaker fouled out to 1b. Martin grounded out to p. DeGrazio flied
out to rf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Northeastern - inning 9
Czarnowski walked. Heriot struck out swinging. Paquette grounded into
double play 2b to ss to 1b; Czarnowski out on the play. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0
errors, 0 LOB.