After sweeping its opening-weekend series, the Stony Brook baseball team was handed a trio of losses in its second set of the season.
The Seawolves (3-3) played in the Sunshine State for the second-straight weekend, taking on the Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) Eagles (4-3). Stony Brook saw its pitching struggle throughout the weekend, falling by a final of 6-1 on Friday and 8-5 on Saturday. Despite taking an early 5-0 lead in the series finale, the Seawolves’ bullpen fell apart, suffering a 10-6 defeat as FGCU swept the series.
Starting pitcher Eddie Smink dazzled to start the series by hurling five innings of one-run baseball while striking out six Eagles’ hitters. On the other side, FGCU starter Justin Henschel impressed, allowing no runs and fanning three through five frames.
As the game became a battle of bullpens, the Eagles led 1-0 going into the eighth inning.
To lead off the eighth, third baseman Evan Goforth dropped a single in front of FGCU center fielder Harrison Povey. Unfortunately for Stony Brook, second baseman Johnny Pilla then lined out to third base, doubling off Goforth at first base.
The double play proved to loom large, as the Seawolves went on to rally after designated hitter Nico Azpilcueta grounded a ball back up the middle with two outs. He was then lifted for pinch runner James Schaffer, who immediately stole second base. With Schaffer now in scoring position, left fielder Chanz Doughty looped a single into right-center field to bring in the tying run.
With the game now knotted at a run apiece, FGCU right fielder Evan Dempsey surprised relief pitcher George Adams by dropping down a bunt to start the home half of the eighth. Adams went on to fill the bases after a walk and a single before forcing in the go-ahead run by plunking pinch hitter Jon Embury.
Stony Brook nearly limited the damage to a single run when FGCU second baseman Tyler Herb bounced a ball to Pilla with the bases still loaded. Pilla threw to home for the force out, but the next throw to get Herb at first was just late, prolonging the inning. On the next pitch, designated hitter Aidan Corn ambushed Adams and slugged a grand slam over the left-field wall to all but seal the ballgame.
As was the case all night, the Seawolves were unable to put together much offense in the ninth inning. Even though it had 10 hits and two walks, Stony Brook left nine runners on base in a 6-1 Eagles win.
Head coach Matt Senk sent Nicholas Rizzo to the mound to start Saturday’s middle game. Unlike his strong showing last weekend, Rizzo struggled this time around, as he allowed four runs in the first three innings. With two on and two out in the first, Rizzo surrendered a run-scoring single to FGCU catcher Mac Moise. Two pitches later, second baseman Javier Gorostola grounded a ball into left to double the Eagles’ lead.
Moise and Gorostola spearheaded FGCU’s offense two innings later after a single by Moise put first baseman Robert Moya into scoring position. Gorostola then snuck one between first and second to bring home Moya. Two batters later, designated hitter Jaret Nelson found the gap in left-center field, scoring Moise and making it 4-0 FGCU.
Stony Brook would not go down easy, starting the fourth inning with a leadoff error, walk and the bases single-loaded . Then, shortstop Matt Miceli brought in the first run for the Seawolves with a fielder’s choice. With two outs and runners at second and third, Goforth doubled home a pair, bringing Stony Brook to within a run. This prompted FGCU head coach Dave Tollett to go to the bullpen, pulling starter Levent Eldem in favor of Preston Rogers. The Seawolves immediately came through, as Pilla and Doughty came up with consecutive base knocks to plate Goforth and knot the game at four.
This would also spell the end of Rizzo’s night, as Erik Paulsen moved from first base to the mound in the bottom of the fourth inning. Rizzo’s day lasted just three innings as he allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks.
Paulsen utilized a double play to get two quick outs, but then gave up a long solo homer to Povey, giving the Eagles the one-run advantage. They would add another run before the inning’s end, heading to the fifth with a 6-4 lead.
Both sides scored a run in the fifth, but FGCU was able to add on in the sixth off relief pitcher Ryan Dieguez. As Dieguez left the game responsible for a pair of baserunners, Gorostola greeted reliever Jacob Pedersen by singling home Povey for his fourth hit of the day.
From there, relievers Ashton Pocol and Leo Giannoni combined to get the final nine outs with Giannoni claiming the save to slam the door on an 8-5 Eagles victory.
With FGCU having already claimed the first two games of the series, Stony Brook came out hot on Sunday as it tried to salvage the final contest.
Facing FGCU starting pitcher Chase Kriebel, Paulsen, Goforth and Pilla tallied consecutive hits to start the game. The latter of the three scored the game’s first run. Kriebel moved to the verge of limiting the damage to a single run, getting back-to-back strikeouts. However, he was not out of the dark, as center fielder Cam Santerre singled home Goforth and Pilla to extend the Seawolves’ lead to 3-0.
After starting pitcher Hunter Colagrande faced the minimum over two scoreless frames to start the game, the Stony Brook offense continued to pile on runs. FGCU relief pitcher Anthony Ursitti hit Goforth with his first pitch of the game before Doughty and Azpilcueta reached on a fielder’s choice and a walk, respectively. Santerre then came through again, lacing a ball into the left-center field gap. As Povey chased the ball to the fence, two runners crossed the plate and Santerre arrived at second base, having driven in four runs in the game’s first four innings. Ursitti was able to hold the Seawolves there, as catcher Luke Szepek struck out and right fielder Chris Carson grounded to first.
Colagrande then hit the first roadblock of his young career, surrendering his first collegiate run in the third inning. Gorostola started the inning with a one-out double and came around to score on a single by shortstop Jake Mummau. Colagrande followed by loading the bases with walks and allowed a sacrifice fly to Povey, cutting the Eagles’ deficit to 5-2.
After another sacrifice fly got FGCU a run closer in the third, and Stony Brook added a run in the top of the fourth. With runners at the corners and one out, Santerre hit a would-be double play ball to Gorostola at the hot corner. However, Gorostola was unable to cleanly handle the chance, allowing Santerre to reach and a run to score.
Now trailing 6-3, the Eagles feasted once head coach Matt Senk went to his relief corps. At day’s end, Colagrande’s first collegiate start was inconsistent as he went four innings, allowing three runs while striking out four batters. Colagrande walked three batters but allowed just three hits in his stint on Sunday. Senk called on Matthew Canizares to replace the freshman starter, a move which immediately backfired.
Canizares walked Mummau to start the inning, then gave up a hit to Dempsey to put runners on the corners. Canizares followed by sending a pitch to the backstop to bring home Mummau. Later in the inning, Moya came through, grounding a ball through the middle for a two-out, run-scoring single.
FGCU’s bullpen blanked the Seawolves for the rest of the night while Stony Brook’s bullpen struggled to put zeros on the board.
The Eagles finally flipped the scoreboard in the sixth against Canizares when Moise led off by working an 0-2 count into a walk. Pinch hitter Vincent Samuel then put him on third with a double before Gorostola continued his tormenting of the Seawolves’ pitching staff, slapping a two-run, go-ahead single.
Senk once again went to his bullpen and brought in John Rizzo, who proceeded to allow a pair of runs in the seventh, making the score 9-6 in favor of FGCU. In the eighth inning, Moya connected on a no-doubt home run off reliever Micah Worley to tack on one more.
Stony Brook brought the potential tying run into the on-deck circle in the ninth inning, but Carson rolled into a game-ending double play, silencing any hope of a comeback.
Senk did not speak to the media after any of the three games.
Pilla once again headed the Seawolves’ offense, going 6-for-13 on the weekend. While he did not have the extra base hit numbers that he did last weekend, the junior second baseman scored twice, drove in a run and stole three bases in as many tries.
Paulsen went 4-for-14 out of the leadoff spot, highlighted by a three hit effort on Sunday. He also tallied two doubles and a run scored.
Goforth had a much improved weekend as he went 4-for-13 with three runs scored, a double, two runs batted in (RBI) and a stolen base.
Filling various spots in the middle of Senk’s order, Azpilcueta went 4-for-12 while Santerre went 3-for-9 after sitting on Saturday. Santerre’s four RBIs on Sunday were his most in a game in his two years at Stony Brook.
Doughty provided arguably the most power of any Seawolf, driving in two runs with a double and four hits in 13 trips to the plate. Carson had a hit in all three games, going 4-for-12 with a double and a run scored.
Miceli tallied a hit in every game, also chipping in a double and two RBIs.
For the Eagles, Gorostola finished the weekend 7-for-13 with six RBIs, two runs scored and two doubles. FGCU was responsible for the only three home runs of the series with Corn, Povey and Moya each leaving the park.
Stony Brook has one more weekend down south before returning to Joe Nathan Field for the first time this season. First, the Seawolves will take on the No. 6/8 University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels for a three-game set in Chapel Hill, N.C. next weekend. The Tar Heels are unbeaten this year in six games after taking the first two of this weekend’s series from East Carolina. UNC will have three more contests before welcoming the Seawolves on Friday. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
