STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Stony Brook baseball team scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh on a pinch-hit, two-RBI single by
Scott Gell and a go-ahead RBI single by
Erik Paulsen to take a 5-4 lead and ultimately earn a one-run victory over Campbell on Saturday afternoon at Joe Nathan Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Stony Brook right-hander Eddie Smink made the start for the Seawolves. Campbell got on the scoreboard in the first inning with a leadoff homer and an RBI single to take a 2-0 lead. The Seawolves went down in order during their first trip to the plate, grounding out to second base twice in the inning.
- Smink returned to the mound in the top of the second and worked a 1-2-3 frame, striking out the final batter. Johnny Pilla sent a ball to the warning track and Luke Szepek was hit by a pitch in the bottom half of the inning, but the Camels held their 2-0 lead.
- The Seawolves kept the Fightin' Camels in check during the top of the third. Smink induced a groundout to Matt Miceli with a runner on third to end the threat. Stony Brook was retired in order again, keeping the score at 2-0.
- Campbell added a run in the fourth, stretching its lead to 3-0. Right-hander Jacob Pedersen entered the game and got the final out of the inning on a grounder to third.
- Stony Brook fought back in the bottom half of the fourth, plating two runs. The rally started with a leadoff single by Erik Paulsen and a walk by Nico Azpilcueta, with both advancing on a wild pitch. Chanz Doughty followed with a sacrifice fly that brought in Paulsen, and Pilla drove in Azpilcueta with a single to right field.
- The Fightin' Camels answered right back in the fifth, launching a leadoff homer to make it 4-2. Pedersen stranded a runner on base to end the frame. Miceli tallied a one-out hit in the bottom of the inning, but Campbell held on to its 4-2 lead.
- Pedersen returned to the mound in the sixth and retired all three batters, striking out the final one of the frame.
- In the bottom half of the sixth, the Seawolves loaded the bases after Azpilcueta reached on an error, Doughty walked, and Pilla singled. But Campbell escaped the jam with an inning-ending double play to preserve its two-run advantage.
- Stony Brook opened the seventh with a walk, and Carson reached on a throwing error by the pitcher to put two on with no outs. After Miceli bunted both runners into scoring position, Gell came through with a pinch-hit, two-RBI single to tie the game. Paulsen followed with an RBI single to left field to give the Seawolves a 5-4 lead.
- After Pedersen struck out the first two batters in the eighth, Campbell managed a two-out single. However, the right-hander got a groundout to Paulsen to end the frame and hold the one-run lead. Pedersen returned for the ninth and retired all three Camels in order to secure the 5-4 win.
STATS AND NOTES
- Pilla extended his hitting streak to five games after going 2-for-4 with an RBI. It marked his 11th multi-hit game of the season, tied for second on the team.
- Gell delivered the game-tying, two-RBI single off the bench. He's now 3-for-5 in his last five at-bats, with five RBI, three runs scored, and a home run.
- Paulsen notched his team-best 13th multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. He also recorded a season-high 14 putouts.
- Azpilcueta extended his on-base streak to every game this season with a walk.
- Smink made his team-high ninth start of the season, going 3.2 innings and allowing three runs on six hits with one strikeout.
- Pedersen earned his first win of the season, tossing a career-high 5.1 innings with no walks, no hits, and just one run allowed. He lowered his ERA to a team-best 3.25 and has allowed only one run over his last 8.1 innings.
- The Seawolves hit .444 (4-for-9) with runners in scoring position. The Stony Brook pitching staff held Campbell to .147 (1-for-7) in those situations.
- This was the first game this season in which Stony Brook did not record an extra-base hit.
- The Seawolves were perfect in the field for the second consecutive game.
- Stony Brook extended its winning streak to four games, its longest of the season.
- The Seawolves improved to 4-3 all-time against Campbell, winning two straight and four of the last five matchups against the Fightin' Camels.
NEXT UP
The Stony Brook baseball team is back in action tomorrow as it looks to take the series finale against Campbell at 1:00 p.m. The game will be streamed live on FloCollege.
