STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Powered by an offensive outburst in the opener, the Stony Brook baseball team split its doubleheader with UMBC on Saturday afternoon, taking the first game 11-3 and dropping the second one 8-6.
 
Freshman Johnny Decker (Coeymans Hollow, N.Y.) drove in four runs in the first matchup, including a bases-clearing double and junior Nick Grande (Smithtown, N.Y.) hit a pair of home runs in the first two innings of the nightcap.
 
SENK'S REACTION
"We put ourselves in terrific position to win the series today after winning game one and jumping out to a five run lead in game two. Unfortunately, we didn't add to the lead and we definitely didn't pitch well enough to have our lead hold up. We'll regroup and focus on coming out tomorrow ready to play a more complete game the way we are capable of"
 
GAME 1 SUMMARY

• After a scoreless first three innings, senior Dylan Resk (Ardsley, N.Y.) drove a double to start the scoring and classmate Brandon Janofsky (Jackson, N.J.) hit a sacrifice fly to give Stony Brook a 2-0 lead.
• Decker's big blow came in the top of the fifth as he drove a ball out into the left-center field gap to give the Seawolves a 5-0 lead halfway through.
• The Retrievers scored three thanks to a two-run double and a RBI groundout to the pitcher.
• Junior Chris Hamilton (Schenectady, N.Y.) started a four-run sixth with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Janofsky.
• Seniors Brandon Alamo (Artesia, Calif.) and Sean Buckhout (West Nyack, N.Y.) added runs with a single and RBI off a UMBC error.
• Decker then finished the scoring with a run-scoring hit to left.
• Wilson and Hamilton finished Stony Brook's run tally with an eighth-inning homer off the bat of Wilson and Hamilton driving a RBI groundout in the ninth.

GAME 2 SUMMARY

• Grande quickly started the scoring in game two, hitting a leadoff home run that sparked a five-run first.
• Alamo's two-run double kept it going and Resk and sophomore John Tuccillo (Clinton Corners, N.Y.) finished it with a sacrifice fly and RBI single to left, respectively.
• After UMBC doubled to left center, Grande hit his second home run in as many innings to increase the lead back to 6-1.
• The Retrievers scored seven unanswered to take the game, capped by a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to go up 8-6.

STATS AND NOTES

• Alamo has now reached in 29 consecutive contests after hitting singles in each game on Saturday.
• His streak matches the longest of the season by a Seawolves player, as Grande reached that mark as well.
• Stony Brook improved to 18-4 on the season when holding teams to five runs or less.
• Both Grande and Wilson currently sit on six home runs this season, tied atop the team leaderboard.
• A weekend after recording his first multi-RBI game in a Seawolves uniform, Decker has a new career-high in RBI after driving in four in the opener.
• The Seawolves have won 20 of the last 27 meetings with UMBC dating back to May 4, 2013.

UP NEXT
The teams will meet in the rubber game of the three-game set Sunday at Noon.
 
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