Baseball Takes Two From CCSU, Marist
CCSU BOX I MARIST BOX
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Playing a doubleheader on the campus of Central Connecticut State University, the University at Albany baseball team overcame the hosting Blue Devils, 3-2, before topping Marist, 7-5. With wins, UAlbany improved to 4-7 on the season.
Against CCSU, UAlbany struck first in the top of the fourth inning, as freshman Shawn Blake doubled to left center and came around to score on Karson Canaday's RBI single to right.
The Great Danes added another run in the fifth, taking a 2-0 advantage. With two outs and runners on first and second, the Blue Devils committed what would turn out to be a costly error, allowing Kenny Hayden to score for a two-run lead.
In the sixth, UAlbany continued to stretch the margin for the third straight inning, as Adam Mund ripped an RBI double down the left field line that plated Alex Lushkevich from first.
While UAlbany led 3-0 heading into the eighth, CCSU rallied to make it a one-run game, 3-2. With the bases loaded, the Blue Devils drew two RBI walks, but closer Joey Moore got the Danes out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts.
Starter Joe Romero earned the win, allowing just one hit in three scoreless innings, while striking out three. Moore picked up the save, striking out four in 1.2 frames.
For CCSU, Casey Brown took the loss, allowing six hits and two earned runs, while striking out three in six innings.
Offensively, UAlbany accrued seven hits spread across seven players.
In game two versus Marist, the Great Danes rallied from a 4-0 deficit after the first two innings to take a 7-5 victory.
Marist struck in the top of the first, stringing together a single and an RBI double with one out, and then plated three in the second.
However, from there, UAlbany settled in and outscored Marist 7-1 the rest of the way.
The Danes got onto the board in the bottom of the third, as Brendan Behan singled and Will Miller lined a double, setting up Craig Lepre's sacrifice fly to center that made the score 4-1.
While Marist got the run back in the fourth on an error and an RBI single by Graham McIntire, UAlbany scored a run in the bottom half of the frame. Lepre's two-out triple plated Miller to make the score 5-2.
In the sixth, the Great Danes broke the game wide open and took the lead for good, batting around the order to plate five runs in the frame. CCSU retired the first two hitters of the inning, but one-by-one, UAlbany chipped away. Lushkevich singled, Mund walked, and Canaday and Behan knocked back-to-back run-scoring singles, cutting the deficit to one, 5-4. Patient at the plate, Miller drew a walk to load the bases, and the Blue Devil pitching staff proceeded to walk Lepre, hit Trevor DeMerritt, and walk Blake, representing the tying and go-ahead runs.
UAlbany reliever Daniel Castro (1-0) earned the win, tossing two scoreless innings, while closer Cameron Sorgie picked up the save, holding the Blue Devils off in the eighth and ninth frames.
At the plate, the Danes totaled 10 hits, led by Miller (3-for-4), Behan (2-for-4), and Lushkevich (2-for-4).
Up next, UAlbany opens America East Conference play at UMass Lowell this weekend. Saturday's doubleheader is slated for 12 p.m. and Sunday's first pitch is also at noon.
