Erik Paulsen got the Seawolves going in the bottom of the third by drawing a one-out walk.  Johnny Pilla followed with a two-run homer to right field, cutting the deficit to 4-2.

Vincent Mariella entered the game for Stony Brook in the top of the fourth and stranded two runners in scoring position.

Matt Miceli and Evan Goforth tallied back-to-back singles in the bottom of the fourth. After the duo stole second and third, Paulsen drew a bases-loaded walk before Pilla brought home Miceli on a sacrifice fly.

Following a 1-2-3 inning by Mariella in the fifth, Cam Santerre drove in Matthew Jackson with an RBI triple, tying the game at 4-4.

Niagara retook the lead in the top of the sixth, but Stony Brook answered with a four-run outburst to reclaim an 8-5 advantage. Jackson drew a bases-loaded walk, and Luke Szepek cleared the bases with a three-run double.

The Purple Eagles scored another run in the seventh, but the Seawolves responded again as Pilla drove in Miceli with an RBI single, extending the lead to 9-6.

Niagara rallied with three runs in the top of the eighth to tie the game and plated the winning run in the tenth, clinching a 10-9 victory on Saturday afternoon.

The Stony Brook baseball team surrendered six runs in the first four innings, falling to No. 5 North Carolina in the second of three games in their weekend series on March 1 at Chapel Hill.

Erik Paulsen got the Seawolves’ offense rolling early, knocking their first hit of the game in the top of the first. Chanz Doughty followed with a walk, putting two runners on with two outs, but UNC escaped the inning unscathed.After the Tar Heels struck first in the bottom of the frame, Nico Azpilcueta kept the pressure on with a single in the second. However, North Carolina shut the door, retiring the next three batters to maintain their 1-0 lead.

UNC tacked on another run in the second and added two more in the third off Stony Brook’s starter, left-hander Nicholas Rizzo.

The Seawolves responded in the fourth, cutting into the deficit. Making his first start of the season, Matthew Jackson sparked the rally with a leadoff double to left-center and later came around to score on a wild pitch, making it 4-1.

North Carolina answered right back in the bottom half, launching a two-run homer off reliever George Adams to extend their lead to 6-1.

Paulsen opened the fifth with a base hit, but Stony Brook couldn’t capitalize. Adams settled in on the mound, retiring the Tar Heels in order in the fifth and stranding a runner at second in the sixth to keep it a five-run game.

The Seawolves had limited chances down the stretch. Jackson ripped another double in the eighth, and Azpilcueta drew a walk, but UNC kept them off the board. Adams finished strong out of the bullpen, retiring six of the final seven batters he faced over the seventh and eighth innings.

Stony Brook baseball right-handed pitcher Eddie Smink allowed one run over five innings, and the Seawolves out-hit Florida Gulf Coast 10-8 on Feb. 21..However, the Eagles scored five runs in the eighth inning to secure a 6-1 victory in the series opener.

HOW IT HAPPENEDErik Paulsen lined out to start the game before Evan Goforth and Johnny Pilla recorded back-to-back hits. FGCU, however, turned a line-drive from Nico Azpilcueta into a double play to end the frame.

Smink struck out the first batter he faced but allowed back-to-back hits and later hit a batter to load the bases. He escaped the jam with a line-out to keep FGCU scoreless.

Chanz Doughty led off the second inning with a double to left-center, but the Eagles retired the next three Stony Brook hitters. Smink responded with a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters.

FGCU took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI double to left-center. Smink stranded runners on second and third to limit the damage.

Smink came up big again in the fourth, ending the frame with a two-out strikeout while stranding a runner on third.

Chris Carson walked, and Matt Miceli singled to give the Seawolves runners on second and third with one out in the fifth. However, a line-out and ground-out ended the threat. Smink stranded another runner in scoring position to conclude his outing.

Stony Brook continued to apply pressure in the sixth, putting two runners on with two outs, but a diving catch by Nicholas Solorzano ended the frame.

Left-hander George Adams entered in the bottom of the sixth, hitting a batter with one out but striking out the next two to escape unscathed.

The Seawolves went down in order in the seventh. Adams responded by retiring three of four batters to keep the deficit at one.

Goforth led off the eighth with a single, but a line-drive double play quickly put the Seawolves down to their final out. Azpilcueta restarted the rally with a single, and pinch-runner James Schaffer stole second. Doughty delivered a game-tying RBI single to right-center, making it 1-1.

FGCU regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth, capitalizing on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch followed by a grand slam to seal the 6-1 victory.

Next up, the team returns to action on Feb. 22 for the second game of the three-game series against Florida Gulf Coast. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.

Sophomore left-hander Nicholas Rizzo delivered a dominant seven-inning performance, allowing just one run, while fellow sophomore Erik Paulsen provided the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning to lift the Seawolves to a 3-2 victory on Feb. 15 and secure the series-victory over Bethune-Cookman in Fort Myers, FL.

After the Seawolves were retired in order in the first inning, Rizzo walked the leadoff batter but quickly escaped the frame with a strikeout and a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out double play by catcher Luke Szepek.Szepek ignited the Stony Brook offense in the second inning with his first career home run, clearing the left-field fence to give the Seawolves a 1-0 lead.Rizzo retired the next four batters before surrendering a hit but induced an inning-ending double play to maintain the 1-0 advantage through three innings.

The Wildcats tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning after a double and a stolen base at home plate.

Both teams remained scoreless until the eighth inning when senior Matt Miceli led off with a hit-by-pitch and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Paulsen, putting Stony Brook ahead 2-1.

Jacob Pedersen took over in the bottom of the eighth, working around a leadoff double by retiring the next three batters to keep the lead intact.

Graduate student Cam Santerre opened the ninth with a walk, advanced to second on a passed ball, and reached third on an error. Junior Chanz Doughty then reached on another error, allowing Santerre to score and extend the lead to 3-1.

The Wildcats mounted a ninth-inning rally with a one-out double and an RBI single to make it 3-2, but Pedersen secured the victory with a game-ending flyout.

Up next, the team looks to complete the series sweep against Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 16. First pitch at Jackie Robinson Ballpark is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on YouTube.