South Orange, N.J. - Making just his second career start, freshman Frankie Vanderka (Levittown, N.Y.) hurled the first no-hitter in Stony Brook baseball history to lead the Seawolves to a 14-1 victory over the NJIT Highlanders in the first game of the Seton Hall Strike Out Cancer tournament on Friday at Owen T. Carroll Field.
It was the seventh straight win for the Seawolves, the program's longest winning streak since the 2003 squad won 11 in a row. The 9-4 start is also the program's best 13-game start since the 2000 team started 10-3.
Vanderka faced just three over the minimum as he struck out 13 and walked just two. It is the first no-hitter since the program jumped to Division I in 2000 and it is believed to be the first no-hitter since the school started playing baseball in 1973.
The right-hander struck out eight and allowed just four hits in 6.0 shutout innings in his first start on Sunday at Michigan. He picked up right where he left off as he retired the first 12 batters on Friday, eight via the strikeout.
The Highlanders finally got to Vanderka in the fifth, scoring an unearned run without the benefit of a hit. Vanderka hit Matt Tomczyk to open the inning and he then moved to third on an errant pickoff throw. He eventually came home on a two-out wild pitch. Vanderka got out of the inning on an out-standing barehanded play from senior Stephen Marino (Lake Grove, N.Y.).
But Vanderka cruised through the sixth and pitched around a walk in the seventh. He then retired the side in order in the eighth which included an outstanding play on a ball up the middle from Vincent Del Vecchio.
Vanderka finished with a flourish, retiring the first two hitters of the ninth on flies to center before striking out Scott Broshman looking to complete the no-hitter. Junior Pat Cantwell (West Islip, N.Y.) caught the first 5.0 innings before junior Keith Murakami (Monterey Park, Calif.) took over for the final 4.0 innings.
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The Seawolves bats gave Vanderka plenty of run support, scoring runs in each of the first six innings as they pounded out a season-high 21 hits. SBU jumped on top with two unearned runs in the first before adding a run in the second on an RBI single from freshman Joshua Mason (Woodland Hills, Calif.).
Stony Brook put the game away with four runs in the third highlighted by a two-run single from sophomore Tanner Nivins (Kitchener, Ontario).
The Seawolves finish play in the Seton Hall Strike Out Cancer tournament with games against Fordham and Seton Hall.
