SBU Sports: Baseball falls to Seahawks in doubleheader
Stony Brook baseball held leads in both games of May 10th’s doubleheader, but UNCW rallied late in each contest to sweep the twin bill, defeating the Seawolves 7-3 in both games at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C.
GAME ONE: UNCW 7, STONY BROOK 3
Stony Brook threatened early, loading the bases in the top of the first after Matt Jackson led off with a single, but UNCW escaped the jam unscathed. The Seahawks then struck first with a leadoff homer in the bottom half of the inning.
Right-hander John Rizzo settled in after that, retiring six straight batters and working around a leadoff double in the fourth to keep the score at 1-0.
The Seawolves broke through in the fifth. After Matt Miceli reached on an error and moved to second, Jackson drove him in with a single up the middle to tie the game.
In the sixth, Nico Azpilcueta singled and Cam Santerre followed with a double down the left field line. Nick Solorzano brought in the go-ahead run with a groundout, giving Stony Brook a 2-1 lead. But the Seahawks responded with a six-run bottom of the seventh to take control.
Johnny Pilla doubled to start the ninth and later scored on a James Schaffer pinch-hit single, but UNCW closed out the 7-3 win.
GAME TWO: UNCW 7, STONY BROOK 3
The Seawolves jumped ahead in game two. Erik Paulsen singled and Matthew Jackson walked in the first, but UNCW stranded both runners. Left-hander Nick Rizzo made the start and got out of the first with help from Santerre and Pilla, who combined with Scott Gell for an inning-ending play at the plate.
Santerre added a single in the second before Rizzo tossed a 1-2-3 bottom half.
Schaffer opened the third with a walk, stole second, and moved up on a flyout before Azpilcueta plated him with a sac fly. Jackson followed with a solo homer, giving Stony Brook a 2-0 lead.
UNCW answered with two runs in the bottom of the third and added another in the fourth to go up 3-2.
The Seawolves responded in the fifth as Schaffer singled and scored on a double by Paulsen to tie the game at 3-3. But the Seahawks again pulled ahead, plating three in the bottom half for a 6-3 edge.
Matthew Canizares pitched a clean sixth with a strikeout, and Jackson and Pilla each singled in the seventh, but Stony Brook couldn’t bring them in. UNCW added one more in the seventh to close the scoring.
George Adams recorded the final two outs for Stony Brook, stranding a runner with a strikeout-throwout double play.
The Seawolves went down in order in the ninth as UNCW secured its second 7-3 win of the day.
The team returns home for its final regular season series, hosting Monmouth beginning May 15 at Joe Nathan Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. on FloCollege.
