April 25, 2008

Box Score

Orono, Maine - Curt Smith hit a go-ahead two-run home run to cap a nine-run seventh inning as the Maine Black Bears rallied for a 10-8 victory over the Stony Brook University baseball team on Friday afternoon at Mahaney Diamond. Stony Brook falls to 21-16 overall and 8-5 in the America East while the Black Bears improve to 16-18-1 overall and 4-5 in the America East.

Stony Brook entered the bottom of the seventh with an 8-1 lead but the Black Bears would send 13 batters to the plate in the inning, getting run-scoring hits from Myckie Lugbauer and Billy Cather in the frame before tying the game at 8-all on a Seawolves error. Smith then followed with a two-run shot to give the Black Bears a 10-8 lead they would not relinquish.

The Seawolves would get the tying run to the plate in the ninth as junior Chad Rebecca (Mount Prospect, Ill.) walked with two outs but Maine closer Kyle Benoit got freshman Nick Thode (Huntington Station, NY.) to strike out to end the game. Sophomore Jordan Purington (Westbrook, Maine) took the loss for the Seawolves, allowing two runs and three hits in 1.1 innings of work.

Sophomore Jeremy Nowak (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) gave the Seawolves an early 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first, driving in junior Brian Witkowski (Lindenhurst, N.Y.). Maine tied it with a run in the bottom of the second but SBU regained the lead in the third on two-run home run from sophomore Mike Stephan (Patchogue, N.Y.).

SBU added to lead in the fourth as junior Justin Echevarria (Uniondale, N.Y.) doubled to give the Seawolves a three-run lead and Witkowski followed with a three-run shot to left to give the Seawolves a 7-1 advantage. The Seawolves added a run in the top of the seventh on a RBI single from sophomore Rob Dyer (Selden, N.Y.) before the Black Bears exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the inning.

Witkowski led the Seawolves with three hits and three RBI while Stephan added two hits and two RBI. Senior Tom Koehler (New Rochelle, N.Y.) started and got a no-decision for Stony Brook, allowing two earned runs in 6.0 innings.

The teams continue their four-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.