In its final midweek and nonconference game of the season, the Stony Brook baseball team saw a lead slip away due to mistakes on defense.
The Seawolves (23-23, 11-10 CAA) traveled back to Fairfield, Conn. for the second week in a row, this time to take on the Sacred Heart Pioneers (27-20, 20-7 NEC) on Tuesday. Stony Brook walked away with the same result as its last trip across the Long Island Sound, as a back-and-forth affair that saw eight errors committed between the two sides culminated in an 11-9 loss.
Facing Sacred Heart starting pitcher Mitch Hawkins, the Seawolves grabbed an instant lead in the top of the first inning when designated hitter Erik Paulsen and left fielder Matt Brown-Eiring each delivered consecutive run-scoring groundouts.
The 2-0 advantage was short-lived, as relief pitcher Quinlan Montgomery — who started against the Pioneers — faltered in the home half of the first inning. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Sacred Heart right fielder Alex Ungar drove in a run with an infield single. After a walk loaded the bases, first baseman Tyler Galletti poked one through the left side to bring home two and put his team in front 3-2 lead.
Stony Brook tied the game in the next half-inning when third baseman Evan Goforth reached on an error before moving over on a single by right fielder Chris Carson. With two outs, center fielder Cam Santerre snuck a hit through the middle to bring in the tying run. Once again, the Pioneers struck right back when shortstop Charlie Tallman walked with one out against Montgomery, prompting head coach Matt Senk to call upon relief pitcher Colton Book.
Book issued a walk and struck a batter out before Ungar lined a two-out, two-run double into the left-field corner off relief pitcher Colton Book to break the tie. Book then walked designated hitter Dante D’Amore while Ungar stole third base, setting up Sacred Heart with runners at the corners and two outs. On the next pitch, D’Amore took off for second and was gunned down by catcher Scott Gell — his second runner caught stealing of the game — but Ungar swiped home plate in time to score and make it 6-3.
With the first two runners aboard in the top of the sixth inning, Carson dropped down a bunt that was fielded by relief pitcher Jonathan Peterson, who then sailed the throw to allow a run to score. Senk then made the move to the bench, pinch hitting catcher Nick Solorzano for Gell, who responded with a bang. After the Pioneers brought David Aufiero out of the bullpen, Solorzano grounded a two-run single through the middle to tie the game.
One batter later, Santerre laid down a bunt of his own and Aufiero committed a similar mistake by throwing the ball into right field to allow the go-ahead run to score. Two batters later, Paulsen carved a double down the left-field line to bring home Santerre and give the Seawolves an 8-6 advantage.
Senk recognized his team’s struggles to generate offense, causing him to resort to more small ball.
“We went to the short game to try to get ourselves back in it,” Senk said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “They did a poor job of fielding in that inning and threw some balls away and we had the big inning and took the lead.”
Now working in the bottom of the sixth inning, starting pitcher Nick Rizzo — who made his first career relief appearance — got no help from his defense. With two outs and a runner at second base, Tallman bounced one to third that Goforth threw away to score a run. Center fielder Michael Simonelli then worked a walk, setting up a successful double steal. Solorzano tried to throw Simonelli out at second, but his throw went into center field and brought Tallman around to score the lead run.
One batter later, Ungar came through with another big blow, looping a two-run single to put Sacred Heart ahead 10-8. Shortstop Matt Miceli got Stony Brook back within one run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth inning, but Ungar restored its two-run deficit with a run-scoring double in the bottom half.
Ungar finished his career game 4-for-5 with two doubles, six runs batted in (RBI), two runs scored and a stolen base.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Seawolves attempted a last-ditch comeback. Facing relief pitcher P.J. Rogan, Goforth led off with a ground-rule double to right-center field before Carson walked to put the tying run on base. Rogan then squashed any hopes that they had by getting Solorzano to pop up a bunt and Santerre to ground into a fielder’s choice, leaving them down to their final out. After battling to fill the count, second baseman Johnny Pilla slugged a fly ball onto the center-field warning track, but the confines of Veteran Memorial Field held it in.
While the loss on Tuesday did not have any playoff implications for Stony Brook, Senk expressed an urgency to come out of games with victories this late in the season.
“I’m disappointed that every time we jumped out to a lead, they came back,” Senk said. “Every time we scored, they scored. They wanted to give us the game and we turned around and gave them four unearned runs. With six conference games left, big weekends, we can’t play like that if we’re going to make the tournament.”
It was an unsuccessful bullpen day, starting with Montgomery’s 1 ⅓ innings of work, in which he allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out one batter. After him, Book allowed two on two hits and two walks in his 2 ⅔ innings and struck out three. Rizzo allowed two hits and two walks — all four of which came around to score as unearned runs. Relief pitcher Ty Stout allowed just a single run on two hits and a walk over the final two innings and whiffed two.
Offensively, five Seawolves had a good showing. Santerre and Pilla each went 2-for-5 at the top of the order while scoring two runs a piece. Pilla was hit by a pitch and hit a double, while Santerre collected an RBI and laid down a sacrifice bunt. Brown-Eiring went 2-for-5, stole a base and picked up an RBI.
First baseman Brett Paulsen went 2-for-5 and scored a run. Goforth went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs scored. In three at bats, Solorzano tallied a hit and drove in two.
Erik Paulsen went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two RBIs. Carson also had a good day, going 1-for-3 with a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a run. Solorzano went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run off the bench.
Stony Brook will now turn its attention back to the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), as it returns home this weekend to take on the Delaware Blue Hens for a crucial three-game series. The Blue Hens enter the weekend a game ahead of the Seawolves, as they are 12-9 in CAA play and 25-21 overall. First pitch from Joe Nathan Field on Friday is scheduled for 2 p.m.
