The Stony Brook Seawolves just missed knocking off the Seton Hall Pirates Thursday afternoon in South Orange, N.J., but fell short with a 13-12 loss in the tenth inning of a marathon affair that featured 26 hits and took just under four hours to complete. The Seawolves are now 23-12 overall in 2003.
Senior catcher Dave Kady hit a sacrifice fly to center field with the bases loaded to score Brandon Cohen from third with the winning run to give the Seton Hall baseball team a dramatic 13-12 victory over the visiting Stony Brook Seawolves in non-conference action Thursday, May 1 at Owen T. Carroll Field. With the win, Seton Hall improves to 19-21 on the year, while Stony Brook falls to 22-13 on the season.
Seton Hall jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after scoring three runs apiece in the first two innings. However Stony Brook battled back with a six-run third inning to tie the score at 6-6 after three innings. Neither of the two teams starting pitchers lasted past the third inning. The Pirates chased Stony Brook starter Will Brumfield in the second inning. Brumfield pitched 1.1 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on four hits, walked three and did not strike out a batter.
Jeff Barrow started for Seton Hall, pitched to seven batters in the third before being relieved by freshman right-hander Montgomery Gray. Barrow pitched 2.0 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on four hits, walked four and had one strikeout.
Both teams scored three runs each in the fifth inning and the Pirates took an 11-9 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out, Patrick Sullivan singled to left field. A sacrifice bunt by Kady allowed Sullivan to advance to second. After a walk by Josh Schuck put runners on first and second, the Pirates sent Mike Bascom to the plate to pinch-hit for Justin Kelemen. Bascom laced a double to the corner in right field scoring Sullivan and Schuck to give Seton Hall the lead.
Following a leadoff walk to designated hitter Ed Kull, Kevin Solano was inserted as a pinch runner. Noonan would hit Andrew Larsen with a pitch to put runners on second and third, bringing Jim McCurdy to the plate looking to bunt the runners over to second and third. McCurdy's bunt attempt resulted in a diving catch by first baseman Tim Pahuta coming down the first base line to keep the runners at first and second with one out. During the next at-bat, the runners converted on a double steal and Lee Lipschutz hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Solano to third. After an infield single put runners on the corners, Noonan uncorked a wild pitch that scored Larsen from third to tie the game at 11-11. Seton Hall went down in order in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings.
In the top of the tenth, catcher Cole Cicatelli led off with a double to right field. Shortstop Matt Devins then punched a single through the left side of the infield, scoring Cicatelli to give Stony Brook a 12-11 lead.
In the home half of the tenth, Stony Brook reliever Kevin Fitzgerald hit Pahuta to lead off the inning. Cohen then reached on a fielder's choice as his bunt was fielded but the Seawolves' attempt to force Pahuta at second was late to put runners on first and second. Designated hitter Lou Santangelo hit a single, scoring Pahuta from second, advanced Cohen to third and Santangelo advanced to second on the throw home. Sullivan was intentionally walked, setting up Kady's heroics.
Fitzgerald scored the loss, pitching 2.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on one hit as his record falls to 1-2 on the year. Noonan picked up the victory, pitching 4.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out four and allowing two walks. Noonan earned his third win of the season to bring his record up to 3-2. Both teams used a combination of 37 players in the game.
The Seawolves are back in America East conference action Saturday as they open a four-game series with Northeastern. First pitched scheduled for 12 p.m.
