The third weekend series of the season turned out to be another disappointment for Stony Brook Baseball at a tournament in North Carolina hosted by Elon University. A 4-1 win against Elon on Saturday could not overshadow the two losing performances that dropped the Seawolves to a 3-7 overall record.
Stony Brook fell to Appalachian State, 4-0, on Friday, and left two men on base in the bottom of the ninth in a failed comeback attempt against Bowling Green on Sunday, losing 5-4.
Despite losing two of three contests this weekend, the Seawolves have positives to move forward with. The team bounced back from a disappointing loss against Appalachian State with a win against Elon, senior pitcher Tyler Honahan earning his second win of the season. He now sits seventh in the school record books with 17 career wins for Stony Brook.
A bright spot among the gloomy start to the season for Stony Brook is the level of production from sophomore shortstop Bobby Honeyman, who extended his career-high hitting streak to 10 games on Sunday with two singles and an run batted in against Bowling Green. The Massapequa native is the only Seawolf that has recorded a hit in each of the team’s ten contests so far this season, and he has made it on base safely in 20 straight games, spanning back to the last 10 games of the 2015 season. Honeyman is currently boasting a .324 batting average and is one of four Seawolves sitting over .300 this season.
Stony Brook allowed several runs in the opening innings throughout the weekend, including four Bowling Green runs in the second inning on Sunday. However, the Seawolves’ relief pitching was strong, keeping its composure enough to put the game in the offense’s hands.
Senior pitcher Chad Lee recorded his first career save on Saturday against Elon. Lee also pitched five innings against Bowling Green, allowing only one run and two hits in five innings. Senior relief pitcher Tim Knesnik performed well in the team’s loss against Appalachian State, finishing off the game by retiring six straight batters.
Honeyman and junior center fielder Toby Handley have been the main sources of offense for coach Matt Senk’s team so far this season. Handley went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles in Sunday’s loss against Bowling Green. Their performances this weekend were solid, but the remainder of the roster must become more involved on offense in order for this team to excel.
Stony Brook will next play on Friday when it hosts Saint Peter’s at 3 p.m. at Joe Nathan Field, where the Seawolves are 1-0 so far this season.
