On the back of a seven-run ninth inning, the Stony Brook baseball team won its fifth-straight midweek contest, this time in walk-off fashion.
Despite the chilly weather, the Seawolves (15-15, 3-6 CAA) welcomed the Sacred Heart Pioneers (14-16, 9-6 MAAC) to Joe Nathan Field, in what would turn out to be a slugfest. While pitching problems put Stony Brook in a 13-7 hole, it rallied for seven in the ninth to walk away with a 14-13 victory.
The first five innings had the Seawolves on track for an effortless win. With Stony Brook running a bullpen game, relief pitchers Jacob Pedersen, Vincent Mariella and Aidan Colagrande combined to give head coach Matt Senk five scoreless frames, while catcher Scott Gell launched a solo home run to give the Seawolves their first offense of the day. Entering the top of the sixth, they held a 3-0 lead.
Reliever Ryan Dieguez walked his first hitter after coming in for Colagrande. Two batters later, that runner scored on a single by Sacred Heart first baseman Dante D’Amore. Another walk knocked Dieguez out of the game, as Senk turned to relief pitcher Nicholas Rizzo. Matters did not get any better, as a run-scoring single and a wild pitch tied the game at three apiece. Two batters later, Sacred Heart center fielder Zack Kovalchik gave the Pioneers a 4-3 lead with a single.
Stony Brook grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the inning, as designated hitter Nico Azpilcueta blasted a two-run homer off the right-field scoreboard — his tenth longball of the season.
However, that lead also proved to be short-lived, with Sacred Heart putting up a five-spot in the top of the seventh.
After a leadoff single, right fielder Alex Ungar matched Azpilcueta, launching a two-run shot to left to put the Pioneers back ahead. Senk then went to reliever George Adams who struggled in his own right, giving up a three-run homer to shortstop Gavin Donohue which stretched the Pioneers’ lead to 9-5. In the eighth, Sacred Heart added three more, spearheaded by a wind-aided two-run home run by second baseman Tim McGuire.
While Stony Brook notched a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Pioneers tacked on an insurance run off reliever Alex Jankowski to send the game to the bottom of the ninth with Sacred Heart ahead 13-7.
Chasing six, first baseman Erik Paulsen started the inning with a single. Following a strikeout by Azpilcueta, right fielder Chanz Doughty doubled off the fence to put a pair of runners aboard. Second baseman Johnny Pilla then walked before a wild pitch allowed a run to score. Gell continued to keep the line moving, singling home a pair to cut the deficit to 13-10.
“In those types of situations, I’m just trying to pass it along,” Gell said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “Everyone was just doing their job. I couldn’t have gotten there without the guys before me and the guys after me picked me up. It’s a team effort.”
Although a pop out by left fielder Chris Carson brought the Pioneers an out away from victory, Senk sent Matthew Jackson to the plate as a pinch hitter to try to keep the game alive. Having fought into a deep count, Jackson beat out an infield hit to bring the tying run to bat.
Senk made another move, bringing Luke Szepek out of the dugout to pinch hit for shortstop Matt Miceli. Szepek swung over a first-pitch breaking ball, before Sacred Heart relief pitcher Charlie Costello tried to go to the well once again.
The second time, Szepek slugged a hanging breaker far over the left-field wall, flipping his bat before rounding the bases to tie the game at 13.
“I knew he was going to come back with it since I just swung over the first one,” Szepek said. “I moved up a little in the box, let it get deep and put a good swing on it. I knew it was gone off the bat.”
Following the big blow, third baseman Brett Davino walked before the Pioneers ultimately went back to the bullpen, bringing in reliever Trent Price. Price walked Paulsen and Azpilcueta in succession to load the bases for the reigning Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Co-Player of the Week in Doughty. After looking at a first pitch strike, Doughty drilled his signature moment as a Seawolf: a walk-off single to center field, giving the Seawolves a 14-13 win.
“That’s number one for sure,” Doughty said. “I saw the way that they had been pitching all the righties and how they pitched me with a lot of offspeed pitches. I wanted to sit on that and luckily he happened to throw it and I was able to hit it.”
Stony Brook scored double-digit runs for the 11th time this season, tallying 16 hits, nine walks and three home runs. In the ninth inning, the Seawolves had six hits after trailing by six runs.
“It’s awesome to see these guys hang in there and make a great comeback,” Senk said. “I am very proud of their resilience and they should be proud of themselves. Our pitching woes continue, but ultimately, we could have folded and come up with nothing, so to come up with seven and get this win feels great.”
Exactly two weeks removed from being placed in concussion protocol, Paulsen had his best game since his return to the lineup. He went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and a walk. Paulsen scored three times and drove in a run.
Doughty went 2-for-6 with a double, a run batted in (RBI) and a run scored. Azpilcueta homered for his only hit in three official at bats, but drove in three runs and walked twice.
In the midst of a strong sophomore season, Gell went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a home run. Szepek drove in three, homering in his only at bat of the game. Pilla went 1-for-3, but reached base twice via walks. Carson also had two hits in five at bats.
As a team, Stony Brook stole four bases without being caught to retake the CAA lead with 84 swipes. It is also tied for the top spot in long balls, having hit 41 through 30 games.
“I think the mindset for each of the guys in the lineup is, ‘We’re here to do damage,’” Senk said. “Now, it’s translating to runs and I think they bring it to not only midweeks, but to every game.”
Having won four of their last five including three straight, the Seawolves will look ahead to the next leg of their four-game homestand: a three-game weekend series with the Campbell Camels. On the season, the Camels are 14-17 overall, but are 5-4 in CAA play. Before heading to Long Island, Campbell will get a midweek test against Duke. First pitch on Friday is set for 2 p.m.
