It’s been a rough season so far for Seawolves baseball.
After being swept in two three-game series against FIU and North Carolina, SBU traveled back to North Carolina this weekend to compete in the Hughes Bros. Challenge.
They dropped a nail-biter on Friday, losing to UNC Wilmington, 3-2, in ten innings. After that, they fell 4-0 to Gardner-Webb on Saturday and were crushed by San Diego, 15-4, on Sunday.
The winningest team in the nation going into the College World Series last year, Stony Brook will play their home opener with a 0-9 record.
Brandon McNitt threw seven innings on Friday, giving up just one unearned run, but a pair of solo home runs at the end of the game gave UNC Wilmington the victory.
Freshman Tyler Honahan replaced McNitt in the eighth. He gave up a leadoff home run in the ninth, which sent the game into extra innings. After Stony Brook failed to score in the top of the tenth, UNC Wilmington’s Ryan LaGrange lead off with a homer to left to end the game.
SBU had 12 hits on the game, a season-high. But 14 men were left on base and the Seawolves struck out 12 times.
In Saturday’s game, Stony Brook could not compete with Gardner-Webb’s Andrew Barnett, who threw a complete game shutout.
The third time SBU has been shutout this season. Stony Brook failed to advance a runner to second base. Barnett allowed the Seawolves just four hits, including two singles from freshman Brett Tenuto.
Junior Frankie Vanderka took the loss, allowing four runs and eight hits in 6 and 2/3 innings. He is now 0-2.
The Seawolves could not hold on on Sunday, despite a two-run double from freshman Johnny Caputo that tied the game at 3 in the third inning.
The nationally ranked Toreros scored six times in the bottom of the third, making it 9-3 and sealing the game by the end of the inning.
Freshman Dan Zamora allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits in two innings.
Caputo finished the weekend 5-for-13, batting .385, while fellow freshmen Jack Parenty and Austin Shives had two hits apiece, their first multi-hit games in their careers.
The Seawolves will return North to play their home opener against Iona on Wednesday. First pitch at Joe Nathan Field is at 3:00 p.m.
