University of Albany Baseball Finishes Season With America East Series Win Over Stony Brook: UAlbany Athletics

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Pete Eichner went 3-for-3, including a double, and scored the game-tying run to lead UAlbany to a 9-6 come-from-behind victory over Stony Brook in the season finale on Saturday, May 17 at Varsity Field. The Great Danes won three of four games in the America East Conference series.

Stony Brook (31-24, AE 14-10) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Brian Witkowski and Chad Marshall drew walks and Michael Stephan was hit by a pitch to open the frame. After a strikeout, Steven Mazzurco laced a double down the left-field line to plate Witkowski and Marshall. Three batters later, Stephan raced home on a wild pitch.

UAlbany (17-37-1, AE 10-14) took a 4-3 lead with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Sean Donovan doubled down the right-field line and Gary Pitcheralle walked to start the frame. Brendan Rowland followed with a single through the right side to knock in Donovan. Pitcheralle then scored as Rowland safely reached second as the second baseman dropped a throw on an attempted double-play ball. After a successful sacrifice bunt moved Rowland to third and Mike Konstanty to second, Rowland and Konstanty scored on consecutive wild pitches.

The Seawolves regained the lead with a pair of runs in the second. Justin Echevarria walked and Witkowski was hit by a pitch to open the inning. Following a UAlbany pitching change and a groundout, Rob Dyer singled up the middle to drive in Echevarria and Witkowski.

The Great Danes, still trailing 5-4 in the seventh, plated three runs on three hits to regain the lead. Eichner doubled and Tom Zink reached on an error to start the rally. Freshman Kyle Crean then pulled a 3-2 pitch down the right-field line to knock in Eichner from second and move Zink to third. Donovan walked to load the bases. After Stony Brook reliever Devin Will recorded a strikeout, Rowland plated Zink with a single up the third-base line. Konstanty then drove in Crean with a sacrifice fly to center for his team-high 47th RBI of the season.

The Seawolves got one run back in the top of the eighth, but UAlbany reliever Sean Gregory stranded three runners on base. Echevarria singled through the middle to start the inning. Witkowski then singled to move pinch runner Robert Inzerillo over to third base. Inzerillo scored on Marshall’s groundout before Stephan was hit by a pitch for the third time in the contest and Dyer walked to load the bases. Gregory entered the game and induced a pop up to second base and a fly out to right field.

The Great Danes delivered the final score with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth. Junior Dave West singled and Eichner reached on an error by the pitcher during a sacrifice bunt. Following a fielder’s choice by Zink in which West was forced at third, Eichner and Zink executed a double-steal with the catcher’s throw sailing into left field, allowing Eichner to score. Zink then came across on a wild pitch.

Senior right-hander Casey Walsh pitched six scoreless innings of relief, striking out seven, to record his first win of the season. Gregory pitched 1.2 innings for his fourth save. Jeremy Nowak suffered the loss for the Seawolves, yielding seven runs, including four earned, on seven hits over six innings.

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Stony Brook (31-24, AE 14-10) 320 000 010 - 6 6 4
UAlbany (17-37-1, AE 10-14) 400 000 32X - 9 9 1

Stony Brook: Jeremy Nowak (L, 6-2), Devin Will (7) and Justin Echevarria, Nick Thode (8).
UAlbany: Nate Novak, Casey Walsh (2, W, 1-8), Chris Ott (8), Dave Noble (8), Sean Gregory (8, S, 4) and Ryan Gugel.