The SBU baseball team dropped a pair of games over the weekend to the Quinnipiac Bobcats. The first game of the double header was 7-0, while the second game of the day was a 4-1 final. The series was played on the campus of Suffolk Community College in Selden, NY. The two losses dropped the Seawolves to 3-9 on the season.
SBU managed only four hits in the first game. Quinnipiac starter Pat Egan combined with reliever C. Glorr on the shutout. Egan gave up only one hit over the first four, and Glorr pitched the final five. Brian Witkowski went 2-4 for the Seawolves. The other two hits came off the bats of Chris Sipp, who was 1-4 in the game, and Robert Leonard, who was 1-3.
SB starter Tom Koehler struck out 10 Bobcats over his five plus innings, and only allowed four hits. But he was done in by the five walks he issued. Junior lefty Marc Brown relieved Koehler, and gave up two runs on two hits while striking out three. Mike Gionesi finished the game and pitched a perfect ninth.
In the second game, the Seawolves got a strong performance out of starter Mike Errigo, but Quinnipiac’s Andy Mayer was even better. Errigo pitched into the seventh and allowed three runs, one of which was earned, along with 7 hits. He struck out six and walked two. But Mayer threw a complete game, and gave up only one run, while walking only one and giving up four hits. He struck out three SBU batters.
The Seawolves only run opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning. Keith Fier and Justin Echevarria opened the inning with lead off singles, putting runners on the corners. Chris Sipp then singled to get the Seawolves their only run on the day. Quinnipiac took the lead in the seventh inning with three runs. Jeff Mainetti led off the inning with a home run. That was followed by an SBU error and a single, which gave the Bobcats a lead they would not relinquish. An error by shortstop Keith Fier, followed by a single led to another run. The third run was scored after an RBI double. That was the hit that knocked Errigo out of the game.
Gary Novakowski came in and recorded the final out, but was charged with the loss. He gave up one run in the eighth after Fier committed another error and Mainetti singled the runner in, creating the final 4-1 margin. The Sunday game against Bucknell was canceled, and SBU is scheduled to play their first game at Stony Brook on Mar. 28 versus Fordham.
