Baseball Staves Off Elimination With 9-8 Victory Over No. 6 Maine
BOX SCORE vs. BINGHAMTON I MAINE BOX SCORE
LOWELL, Mass. – Following a 6-3 loss to Binghamton in the quarterfinal round of the America East tournament, the University at Albany baseball team held off Maine in the second round of the loser's bracket with a 9-8 win. UAlbany now moves to 23-29, while Maine ends their season with a 20-35 overall record. The Danes move onto the next round of the loser's bracket and will face Stony Brook at 3:30 p.m.
“I thought we played pretty good defense today, I think in the second game we just outlasted them and grinded them out,” said head coach Jon Mueller.
After Maine closed in on UAlbany, scoring four runs in the top of the eighth inning, senior RHP Sam DeCelle came into the game to pitch the final five outs. After loading the bases in the top of the ninth, DeCelle followed with a strikeout to Brett Chappell and a fly out to left from Jeremy Pena to end the game.
“It was great to pick up the team, we battled all day long,” said DeCelle “I was able to come in, I struggled with strikes in the beginning, but I'm glad we got out of there with the win.”
With runners on first and second in the bottom of the first, Evan Harasta hit a chopper towards third base and Maine's pitcher threw the ball past first base allowing Connor Powers to score from second, giving the Danes an early 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third with two outs, Kyle Sacks zipped the ball through the left side to score Powers from third base, putting UAlbany up 2-0.
Karson Canaday pushed the Danes up 4-0 with a single into shallow right field on a full count with the bases loaded, scoring Matt Hinchy and Kyle Sacks.
Maine added two runs in the top of the sixth on a single from Colin Ridley and a Stephen Woods wild pitch.
Up 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Patrick Lagravinese scored on a single up the middle from Canaday, who would later score after two stolen bases and a wild pitch. Miller later scored in the inning from third on a Powers single into centerfield, putting UAlbany up 8-4.
Woods (4-5) pitched 5.1 innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits and had seven strikeouts in the victory. DeCelle picked up his first save of the season after pitching the final 0.2 innings, allowing no runs and added a strikeout.
Canaday had a terrific night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run scored and three RBI's.
Down 6-0 in the top of the ninth, Hinchy hit a single towards the shortstop and later scored with Harasta on a Connor Powers double into right center. Powers scored the Danes final run of the game when Lagravinese singled up the middle.
Ryan Stinar (5-2) earned the loss after going 2.0 innings and allowed two earned runs on two hits. Angelo Spedafino, Derek Balbierz and Terry Dugdale all saw time on the mound in the loss.
Powers led the Danes offensively in the game, going 2-4 with one run scored and one RBI.
The Great Danes return to LeLacheur Park for a 3:30 p.m. matchup with Stony Brook, who lost to Hartford in extras in the afternoon game.
