STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The bats came alive on senior day for the Stony Brook baseball team as the Seawolves swept visiting Binghamton in an America East Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Joe Nathan Field.
The Seawolves (23-23, 10-9 AE) posted a season-high 17 runs on a season-best 21 hits in game one to earn a 17-9 victory over the Bearcats (27-11, 12-4 AE). Stony Brook battled out a 4-1 win in game two.
Senior CF
Toby Handley (Whitby, Ontario) collected four, three RBI and scored four times in his final home games. He belted his fifth home run of the season in game one and recorded a pair of triples on the afternoon to become Stony Brook's career leader in the category. Junior LF
Andruw Gazzola (Coram, N.Y.) had six hits and a pair of RBI on the afternoon, including a 5-for-5 performance in game one.
Senior 1B
Casey Baker (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) had four hits in game one and scored three runs, while fellow senior 2B
Jeremy Giles (Claremont, Calif.) drove in three runs in game one and senior C
David Real (Chandler, Ariz.) plated a pair of runs in game two.
Redshirt freshman RHP
Greg Marino (Centereach, N.Y.) picked up the win in game after he tossed 5.2 innings in relief, while freshman RHP
Brian Herrmann (Northport, N.Y.) got the victory in game two after he went 5.2 innings in the start and allowed just one run on three hits. Junior RHP
Aaron Pinto (West Covina, Calif.) earned his third save of the season in game two in 1.1 innings of scoreless work.
Game One Turning Point
After Binghamton scored two runs in the top of the first inning, Stony Brook bounced right back with four runs on their own in the bottom half on the inning, but the Bearcats tried to claw back in the top of the second and loaded the bases with one out before Seawolves' starter RHP
Bret Clarke (Royersford, Pa.) induced a groundball double-play that ended the threat and the inning.
Game Two Turning Point
Once again Binghamton struck first with a run in the top of the first inning, but Stony Brook bounced right back to tie the score 1-1 in the bottom of the inning thanks to a leadoff triple by senior CF
Toby Handley (Whitby, Ontario) who came into score two batters later when fellow senior 1B
Casey Baker (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) drove him in on a grounder to first.
Quoting Head Coach Matt Senk
"I'm very happy for our seniors to go out with a sweep at home against a very, very good team. The seniors had a lot to do with today's wins and I was really pleased that their season, at least at home, ended on such a high note."
Notes
- The Seawolves honored the six seniors on the roster prior to game one. Cody Clarke, David Real, Cameron Stone, Jeremy Giles, Casey Baker and Toby Handley. Those six combined for 10 hits and 10 RBI in the two games.
- Senior CF Toby Handley (Whitby, Ontario) tripled in game one for his 16th career three-bagger and then became the school's all-time leader in the category with a triple in first inning of game two for No. 17. He surpassed the record held by former Seawolf great Travis Jankowski who set the record in 2012.
- Handley had two hits in game one and had one hit in game two has now reached base safely in 33 straight games.
- Handley extended his hit streak to 13 straight games with a hit in each game on Sunday.
- Senior 1B Casey Baker (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) had four hits in game one and reached on an error in game two and has now reached base safely in 29 straight games.
- Junior LF Andruw Gazzola (Coram, N.Y.) recorded the first five-hit game of his career when he went 5-for-5 in game one.
On Deck
Stony Brook will wrap up the regular season next weekend with a three-game America East Conference series at UMBC.
