STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Erik Paulsen racked up four hits, and
Matthew Jackson tallied three hits with five RBI to help power the Stony Brook Seawolves over the Niagara Purple Eagles, 15-7, on Friday in their home opener.
The victory marked a milestone for head coach
Matt Senk, as he became just one of 12 active coaches to reach 950 career wins.
George Adams (2-1) earned the win out of the bullpen for Stony Brook (5-6). The left-hander delivered 3.2 shutout innings, allowing just three hits, walking one, and striking out six.
Paulsen led the Seawolves' offensive surge with four hits, including a double and two RBI. Jackson had a standout day at the plate as well, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and five RBI. Junior
Chanz Doughty also contributed with two hits in three at-bats, adding a double, a walk, and three RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Stony Brook jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Paulsen doubled to right field and scored on a single from Johnny Pilla. Doughty later brought home Pilla on a sacrifice fly.
- Niagara responded in the top of the second with a six-run inning, highlighted by a grand slam.
- The Seawolves began to chip away in the bottom half of the second when Chris Carson reached on a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a sac fly, and scored on a wild pitch, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
- Right-hander Eddie Smink settled in over the next three innings, holding Niagara hitless and preventing any runners from reaching second base in the third, fourth, and fifth frames.
- Paulsen sparked a rally in the fifth with a leadoff single. After Nico Azpilcueta moved him to third with a base hit, Doughty drove in Paulsen with an RBI single. Jackson followed with a towering three-run homer to right field, giving Stony Brook a 7-6 lead.
- After Niagara tied the game in the sixth, the Seawolves answered with a five-run inning. Doughty drew an RBI walk, Jackson brought home Pilla with an RBI single, and a Niagara error allowed two more runs to score. Paulsen was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, capping off the big inning and giving Stony Brook a 12-7 lead.
- Adams took the mound and stranded a runner at second in his first full inning of work in the seventh.
- The Seawolves kept the momentum going in the bottom of the seventh. Doughty laced a one-out double and scored on an RBI single from Jackson. Jackson then came home on a wild pitch, extending the lead to 14-7.
- Adams delivered in the eighth, striking out three straight batters to escape a jam with runners on the corners.
- Paulsen added the finishing touch in the bottom of the eighth, driving in Evan Goforth with an RBI single after Goforth led off with a double.
- Adams sealed the win by retiring the final three batters in order in the ninth, securing the 15-7 victory at Joe Nathan Field.
STATS AND NOTES
- This victory marks the 950th career win for head coach Matt Senk.
- The Seawolves have now won their last three home openers.
- This was the first-ever meeting between these two programs.
- Stony Brook hit .410 (16-for-39) overall and .316 (6-for-19) with runners in scoring position. The team was also .500 (4-for-8) when leading off an inning.
- The Seawolves scored a season-high 15 runs, marking the first time they've posted back-to-back 10+ run games since 2023 (15 at CofC on Mar. 19 and 14 at LIU on Mar. 22).
- The pitching staff recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts.
- Paulsen set a career high with four hits, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. He leads the team with five multi-hit games this season.
- Jackson delivered a career-best three hits, five RBI, and his first home run of the season. His five RBI were the most by a Seawolf since Matt Brown-Eiring had six against Hofstra in 2022.
- Doughty contributed two hits and three RBI, bringing his two-game total to five hits, four RBI, five runs scored, and two extra-base hits.
- Adams secured his second win of the season, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings while striking out a season-high six batters.
- Goforth and Azpilcueta extended their hitting streaks to nine games, each notching multi-hit performances. Azpilcueta has reached base in all 11 games this season.
NEXT UP:
Stony Brook is back in action tomorrow afternoon at Joe Nathan Field, hosting Niagara for the second game of the series. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
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