Baseball's Ninth Inning Rally Captures Series At Binghamton With 9-6 Victory
BOX SCORE
VESTAL, N.Y. – The University at Albany baseball team rallied for four runs in the top of the ninth inning to steal a 9-6 win over the hosting Binghamton Bearcats Sunday afternoon in Vestal, N.Y. The rubber match victory gave the Great Danes its third straight America East Conference series win, improving their record to 11-14 overall and 5-3 in league play, while Binghamton fell to 12-15 on the season and 6-8 in the America East.
“Tremendous resiliency by the team today,” said Head Coach Jon Mueller. “Every starter had an important hit and the pen settled things down again.”
Closer Joey Moore picked up his second win of the weekend, holding the hosts scoreless and to just one hit, while striking out one in the final 1.1 innings. Starter Matt Gallup went 4.2 frames, allowing three runs and seven hits with a strikeout, while middle reliever Joe Romero limited Binghamton to three runs (one earned) and two hits, while striking out four in three frames.
“Romero held things down and Moore shut the door,” added Mueller. “The team battled for every at bat until the end.”
Offensively, the Great Danes totaled a season-high 16 hits with six players recording multiple knocks in the victory. Freshman Shawn Blake led the team with three hits, three runs, and an RBI, while senior Craig Lepre went 2-for-4 with three runs batted in, and Will Miller went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Binghamton made the first mark on the board, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second on an infield groundout and an RBI single.
However, UAlbany took a 4-2 lead, plating two runs in the fourth and two in the fifth. Alex Lushkevich singled and Blake doubled to right, setting up Matt Hinchy's sac fly and Lepre's RBI double in the fourth, and in the next frame Miller belted a two-run home run to left, giving the Danes the lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Bearcats strung together a pair of singles sandwiched around a hit batsman, cutting the margin to one, 4-3.
UAlbany added a run in the eighth, as Blake doubled to right and Lepre knocked him home with a sac fly to left.
However, the hosts came barreling back in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs to take a 6-5 lead. Brendan Skidmore led off with a solo home run and a hit by pitch, an error, and an RBI single gave the Bearcats the lead.
Undeterred, the Great Danes continued to battle in the top of the ninth, stringing together six hits for four runs and the lead. Eric Mueller sparked the rally with a leadoff liner to center and Adam Mund followed with a single to left. After Karson Canaday's fielder's choice, Miller knocked in one run with a single to left, Blake singled to right giving the Danes the lead for good, and Hinchy double to left for another run. Lepre capped the inning with an RBI single to right, lifting UAlbany to a three-run advantage, 9-6.
In the bottom of the ninth, Binghamton put two runners on with a walk and a single, but Moore struck out what would be the tying run to end the game.
Reliever Nick Wegmann (0-1) took the loss, allowing four runs and four hits in 0.2 frames.
Up next, the Great Danes travel to take on Quinnipiac Tuesday in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. before returning to Varsity Field next weekend for a three-game series with Stony Brook.
