For the 14th time in 15 games, Stony Brook baseball has emerged the victor.
The Seawolves tied a season-high in runs scored on Wednesday, as they won a lopsided home game against Fairfield by a score of 15-3.
“Our team has taken our play to a high level,” Seawolves Manager Matt Senk said. “We’re playing a complete game.”
Coming out of the gate, Stony Brook wasted no time scoring against Fairfield pitcher Gavin Wallace. After senior catcher Cole Peragine led off the first inning with a walk, senior outfielder Jack Parenty ripped a triple to deep center, giving the Seawolves their first run of the day. An ensuing single by freshman infielder Malcom Nachmanoff drove home Parenty to give the Seawolves a 2-0 lead.
The second inning was even more productive for Stony Brook. Parenty got another chance to do damage with the bases loaded and two outs, and did not squander the opportunity. He doubled in two runs to increase the lead to 4-0. Once again, Nachmanoff followed Parenty with a bases clearing single to make it 6-0.
“I just got a couple of good pitches to hit,” Parenty said of his two extra base hits.
Wallace would not even get a chance to finish the third inning. After allowing two hits and a walk to the first three batters of the third, he was pulled in favor of sophomore lefty Ryan O’Connor. Wallace finished the day with a nightmarish line, allowing eight runs on eight hits in just two innings of work.
“Our offense did a terrific job today,” Senk said.
Even with its beleaguered starter pulled, Fairfield could not quell the Seawolves’ hot bats. Stony Brook scored nine runs over the game’s final seven innings, scoring at least one run in each inning, save for the eighth.
“We carried over [offensive success from past games] into today,” Parenty said. “We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing.”
As it dominated at the plate, Stony Brook impressed on the mound as well. Starting pitcher Tim Knesnik had arguably his best outing of the season, allowing just one hit in five scoreless innings while striking out six batters.
“I was throwing my fastball for strikes a lot more,” Knesnik said. “The fact that our offense was killing the ball also [gave me] a lot of confidence.”
After Knesnik was pulled, the Seawolves used some of their less-experienced underclassmen to finish the game in relief. Aaron Pinto, Cole Creighton and Joseph Guercio combined to allow three runs on seven hits over the game’s final four innings. For this trio of relievers, it marked their fifth, sixth and third appearances on the season, respectively.
“[Pinto, Creighton and Guercio] did a good job of getting out there and going after hitters,” Senk said. “Overall, I was pleased with our pitching performance today.”
Stony Brook will wrap up its final homestand of the season this weekend with a pivotal three-game America East series against Hartford. As they hold a four-game conference lead with ten games to go, it will be crucial for the Seawolves to capitalize on their home turf.
