Stony Brook Baseball entered this past weekend’s series against UMass Lowell riding an eight-game winning streak. However, the River Hawks’ starting pitchers were too much for the Seawolves offense to handle. UMass Lowell won the series two games to one. Stony Brook’s overall record falls to 17-16.
Game 1: Stony Brook 5 – UMass Lowell 7
Stony Brook took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning after junior third baseman Bobby Honeyman’s RBI single and freshman designated hitter Michael Wilson’s sacrifice fly. The team was in a comfortable position behind freshman starting pitcher Brian Herrmann, who allowed just one hit in his first 4.2 innings pitched.
But the freshman’s outing did not end as smoothly.
After scoring one run off of Herrmann in the bottom of the fifth inning, the River Hawks geared up for a strong follow-up performance in the sixth inning. Herrmann walked the first batter he faced in the inning. It was the beginning of a three-run inning for the River Hawks that gave them a 4-2 lead. UMass Lowell never relinquished the lead and the team added three more runs en route to its 7-5 win over Stony Brook to open the series.
All three of the RBI singles in the sixth inning were charged to Herrmann. He has now allowed three or more earned runs in each of his last three starts, a stark change from his first five starts of the season, in which he allowed three or more runs merely once. His record falls to 2-3 and his ERA falls to 3.50.
The River Hawks junior starting pitcher Andrew Ryan allowed just two runs while striking out a season-high nine batters in seven innings of work. But the Seawolves were able to make a comeback attempt once Ryan was relieved by his bullpen.
Sophomore second baseman Brandon Janofsky had a sacrifice fly that scored a run in each of the last two innings, but it was not enough to catch up to the River Hawks.
Game 2: Stony Brook 0 – UMass Lowell 4
UMass Lowell’s starting pitcher continued to stifle Stony Brook into the second game of the series. This time it was sophomore starting pitcher Collin Duffley on the mound. Duffley pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits and recording seven strikeouts. In the America East, the second game of a doubleheader is seven innings as opposed to the typical nine innings. Stony Brook lost the game 4-0.
The Seawolves offense could not figure the sophomore out all game. Duffley has arguably been the top pitcher in the America East this season. He leads the conference in strikeouts with 56, opposing batters batting average at .168, and is second in ERA at 2.03. Despite being the highest scoring offense in the conference entering the week, the Seawolves were no problem for Duffley.
Stony Brook sent freshman starting pitcher Greg Marino to the mound in opposition of Duffley. He was quickly rattled in the first inning, allowing four consecutive singles to begin the game, two of which were RBI singles. Sophomore designated hitter Russ Olive added a two-run single through the right side of the infield.
It would end up being all the run support UMass Lowell needed to defeat Stony Brook. Junior left fielder Andruw Gazzola and freshman right fielder Chris Hamilton had the Seawolves lone hits in the game.
Following the first inning, Marino allowed just one hit until the fifth inning. Nevertheless, he allowed four runs while striking out seven batters en route to earning the loss.
Game 3: Stony Brook 4 – UMass Lowell 1
The Seawolves turned the tables on the River Hawks in the third and final game of the series. Sophomore starting pitcher Bret Clarke had a dominant performance on the mound, allowing just one unearned run while striking out six batters in 5.2 innings. His team went on to win the game, 4-1.
In 2016, Clarke allowed just 15 earned runs all season and had the second-lowest ERA in the conference. But it took him just four starts to allow more earned runs this year than he did all of last season. However, his arm has heated up alongside the weather. Saturday’s start was his second consecutive game in which he allowed one run or less. He had 15 strikeouts in his 11.2 innings on the mound in those two games combined.
Sophomore right fielder Dylan Resk sent a solo home run over the left field wall in the top of the fifth inning. It was his eighth home run of the season, which is two more than any other player in the America East.
Tied 1-1 in the fourth inning, freshman designated hitter Michael Wilson hit an RBI double to give his team a 2-1 lead. Sophomore catcher Sean Buckhout added an RBI single in the game to bring his team’s lead to 3-1.
He was behind the plate for two of the three games in the series. Buckhout has typically played one game per weekend to give the team’s starting catcher, senior David Real, a breather. However, Buckhout is now batting .325, compared to Real’s .194 batting average. The team has not announced an injury to Real.
The Seawolves take on the Hartford Hawks away Saturday, April 22 for the first two games of a three-game series in a doubleheader.
Correction:
A previous version of this article stated that Stony Brook’s conference record had fallen. It is the overall record.
