Stony Brook Baseball returned home to Joe Nathan Field to host Fairfield in a mid-week doubleheader after Tuesday’s game against Marist was postponed. The team extended it’s losing streak to six games after losing by a single run in both games. The Seawolves overall record falls to 17-21.

Game 1: Fairfield 2 – Stony Brook 1 (11 innings)

The first game of the doubleheader was supposed to last just seven innings because it was a doubleheader that was scheduled less than 24 hours in advance. The game that was supposed to be seven innings actually ended in 11, but the result was not in favor of the home team. Stony Brook surrendered a double with two runners on base to Fairfield freshman outfielder Dan Ryan in the top of the 11th, allowing the game’s decisive run to score.

However, Stony Brook did strike first in the game. Senior centerfielder Toby Handley drove in his team’s first base runner of the game on a single through the left side of the infield in the first inning. He finished the game with two hits and a stolen base. Despite scoring a run in the opening inning, the Seawolves were unable to score again, stranding the team’s other 11 base runners on base. 

“Pitching did well, defense did well, but we needed timely hitting,” sophomore right fielder Dylan Resk said.

But it never came.

Fairfield’s freshman starting pitcher Austin Pope set the tone for a strong pitching performance from his team. He allowed just one unearned run and three hits while striking out five batters. Three separate pitchers tossed two scoreless innings a piece to help outlast Stony Brook.  

The Seawolves came 90 feet from winning the game in the bottom of the tenth, presenting the team’s best chance at winning the game.

Senior shortstop Jeremy Giles worked a leadoff walk to begin the inning, and two other Seawolves managed to get on base later in the inning to load the bases. But junior left fielder Andruw Gazzola struck out swinging to end the inning.

Pitching was Stony Brook’s strength in today’s doubleheader, and it started in Game 1. Freshman starting pitcher Sam Turcotte delivered three innings of one-hit baseball before being replaced at the start of the fourth inning by freshman relief pitcher Brandon Bonnano.

The Stags tagged Bonnano for its first run of the game with an RBI single off the bat of junior outfielder Drew Arciulo in the fifth inning that tied the game 1-1. The Seawolves pitching did not allow another run until the Stags scored the go-ahead run in 11th.

Game 2: Fairfield 1 – Stony Brook 0

The Seawolves’ scoring drought continued into the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader. They had not scored since Handley’s RBI in the first inning of the first game. He returned to the plate with just one out away from a loss and a runner on second base, and he would come though with a single past the second baseman.

However, within seconds after signaling to freshman designated hitter Michael Amandola to go for home plate as he rounded third base, head coach Matt Senk knew he had made the wrong decision. Amandola was tagged at home plate, ending the game.

“It came down to execution,” Senk said of the decision to send the freshman home. “And by execution, I mean coaching. We are poorly coached.”

The game ended on the timely throw from the Stags senior right fielder Troy Scocca to home plate. The clutch throw solidified Fairfields 1-0 win and doubleheader sweep on the road over Stony Brook.

Despite being tagged out at the plate, Amandola turned some heads with a clutch opposite-field double with two outs in the seventh inning to put his team in position to tie the game. Senk was confident that he was the team’s best option with two outs in the inning, despite only having one collegiate hit under his belt.

“He has been swinging the bat well in practice,” Senk said. “He had a couple of good at-bats earlier in the game.”

Amandola was ready for the moment and knew that his team was not done yet.

“We are always swinging in batting practice,” Amandola said. “I just zoned in on a fastball and got a hold of it.”

His two-out double was one of just seven hits the Seawolves were able to muster. Dylan Resk led the team with three hits in the game, raising his batting average to .258. But he was the only one who looked consistently  comfortable at the plate in the second game.

Fairfield scored the only run of the game when freshman outfielder Dylan Reynolds had an RBI double in the second inning off of freshman starting pitcher Steven Acosta, who was charged with the loss.

“It was a tough day for all of us,” Resk said. “We are gonna come in with a lot more fire this weekend.”

Stony Brook will get back to conference play this weekend against Maine. The series will begin Saturday at noon.