STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Trailing 13-7 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Stony Brook baseball team mounted a stunning seven-run rally, capped by
Luke Szepek's game-tying three-run homer and a walk-off single from
Chanz Doughty, to secure a 14-13 victory over Sacred Heart on Tuesday afternoon at Joe Nathan Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Right-hander Jacob Pedersen made his third start of the season and looked sharp early, retiring five of the first six batters he faced and finishing three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
- Scott Gell got the Seawolves on the board in the second with a one-out solo homer to left-center. In the third, Evan Goforth walked and came around to score on Erik Paulsen's double into the right-field gap. Nico Azpilcueta capped the frame with a sacrifice fly, giving Stony Brook a 3-0 lead.
- Vincent Mariella tossed a clean fourth inning out of the bullpen, and Aidan Colagrande followed with a scoreless fifth, allowing just a walk.
- Sacred Heart struck back in the sixth, scoring four runs to take a 4-3 lead. Stony Brook immediately answered as Paulsen doubled again and Azpilcueta launched a two-run shot off the scoreboard—his 10th homer of the season—to reclaim a 5-4 advantage.
- The Pioneers responded with a five-run seventh inning, including a two-run homer and a three-run blast to take a 9-5 lead. Stony Brook got two runners on in the bottom half but couldn't capitalize.
- Paulsen took the mound in the eighth and surrendered four runs, including a two-run homer, as Sacred Heart extended its lead to 12-5.
- The Seawolves showed fight in the bottom of the eighth, cutting the deficit to 12-7. Chris Carson reached on a fielder's choice, and after a walk by Nick Zampieron, Matt Miceli drove in Carson with an RBI single. A defensive error allowed Zampieron to score.
- After Sacred Heart added one more in the top of the ninth to make it 13-7, the Seawolves came roaring back. Paulsen singled, Doughty doubled, and Johnny Pilla walked to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Paulsen, and Gell delivered a two-RBI single to left, narrowing the gap to 13-10. Matthew Jackson singled off the bench, setting the table for Szepek, who crushed a pinch-hit three-run bomb to tie the game.
- With the momentum fully in their favor, Stony Brook loaded the bases again on three straight walks. Doughty then stepped up and ripped the walk-off single to center, scoring Brett Davino and completing the unforgettable comeback.
STATS AND NOTES
- Nico Azpilcueta crushed his team-high 10th home run of the season and extended his on-base streak to all 30 games. He drove in three runs for the fourth time this season, the most on the team.
- Scott Gell launched his second home run of the year and added a walk.
- Erik Paulsen went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. It marked his team-leading 12th multi-hit game and his fifth game with at least three hits.
- Chris Carson tallied his fifth multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored.
- Luke Szepek blasted his sixth homer of the season, tying him for second on the team.
- Matt Miceli recorded two RBIs, a walk, a single, and a stolen base—his fifth multi-RBI performance this season.
- Pilla and Zampieron also added base hits in the win.
- Pedersen matched his season highs in innings pitched (3.0) and strikeouts (4), allowing just one hit in his team-leading 12th appearance.
- Mariella notched his fourth scoreless outing of the season.
- Colagrande made his second appearance, remaining unscored upon this season.
- Alex Jankowski earned his first win of the year out of the bullpen.
- Stony Brook collected 16 hits—their second-highest total this season—and have recorded double-digit hits in four straight games.
- The Seawolves hit three home runs for the second consecutive game and have gone deep multiple times in four straight.
- Stony Brook was flawless in the field, committing no errors.
- The Seawolves' leadoff hitters went 5-for-9 (.556), and the team also batted 5-for-9 (.556) with runners in scoring position.
- Stony Brook improved to 18-7 all-time against Sacred Heart, snapping a six-game losing streak against the Pioneers.
NEXT UP
The Seawolves return to Joe Nathan Field this weekend for a three-game set against Campbell. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., with all the action streaming live on FloCollege.
