April 27, 2008

Box Score

Orono, Maine - Junior Brian Witkowski (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) went 2-for-4 with three RBI and four runs scored as the Stony Brook University baseball team tied a season-high with 17 hits on its way to a 13-6 victory over the Maine Black Bears on Sunday afternoon at Mahaney Diamond. Stony Brook improves to 24-16 overall and 11-5 in the America East while the Black Bears fall to 16-21-1 and 4-8.

The Seawolves jumped on top early with three in the first as Witkowski walked to lead off, moved to second on a single from freshman Chad Marshall (Paris, Ontario) and then came home on a RBI single from sophomore Mike Stephan (Patchogue, N.Y.). Marshall scored two batters later on a run-scoring single from freshman Stephen Marino (Lake Grove, N.Y.) and Stephan crossed the plate with the final run of the inning when junior Steven Mazzurco (Selden, N.Y.) grounded into a double play with the bases loaded.

Maine came back with two in the bottom of the first on a two-run home run by Curt Smith but the Seawolves answered with two of their own in the second on RBI singles from Witkowski and sophomore Rob Dyer (Selden, N.Y.). The Seawolves added to their lead with four runs in the third highlighted by a two-run home run from Witkowski.

The Black Bears closed to within 9-4 in the fifth on run-scoring singles from Myckie Lugbauer and Tony Patane but that is as close as they would get as the Seawolves added a run in the seventh on a Marshall RBI single and two more in the eighth on a bunt from junior Keith Fier (Armonk, N.Y.), scoring Dyer, and a run-scoring single from junior Michael Tansey (Valley Stream, N.Y.).

Sophomore Jeremy Nowak (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) picked up the win for the Seawolves, allowing four earned runs in 7.0 innings of work. Mazzurco and Marshall helped pace the Stony Brook offense in addition to Witkowski, tallying four hits apiece. Alejandro Balsinde took the loss for Maine, giving up three runs and three hits in 1.0 inning of work.

The Seawolves return to action on Tuesday, traveling to take on Iona at 3:30 p.m.