Game 2 Box Score
West Hartford, Conn. - Sophomore Travis Jankowski (Lancaster, Pa.) hit a base-loaded triple with two outs in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie as the Stony Brook University baseball team defeated the Hartford Hawks, 5-1, in the first game an America East doubleheader on Saturday at Fiondella Field. Stony Brook completed the doubleheader sweep with a 3-2 win in game two.
Junior right-hander Nick Tropeano (West Islip, N.Y.) earned the game one win, allowing a run on four hits in 7.0 innings. Tropeano (9-1) struck out six and walked three in the seven-inning game. Junior right-hander Evan Stecko-Haley (Coral Gables, Fla.) allowed two runs in 7.0 innings to earn the win in game two.
Hartford jumped to a 1-0 lead in game one on a solo home run from Brian Hunter in the fourth. The Seawolves (32-10, 13-2 AE) tied it in the fifth as sophomore Tanner Nivins (Kitchener, Ontario) singled to lead off and then came around to score on an RBI groundout from freshman Kevin Courtney (Lindenhurst, N.Y.).
Stony Brook then loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. Hartford starter Ryan Lukach struck out Nivins for the second out but Jankowski followed with the three-run triple to left-center to give SBU a 4-1 lead.
Tropeano allowed the first two runners to reach in the bottom of the sixth but got Simon Kudernatsch on a fly to right before getting Rodger Wilmot to ground into an inning ending double play. Stony Brook added an unearned run in the seventh to make it 5-1.
SBU grabbed a 2-0 lead in game two with two runs in the second on a RBI single from freshman Joshua Mason (Woodland Hills, Calif.) and a sacrifice fly from Courtney. Hartford got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a Bulger sacrifice fly.
Stony Brook tacked on a run in the fifth on an RBI groundout from sophomore William Carmona (Hempstead, N.Y.). Hartford answered with a run in the sixth to make it 3-2.
The Hawks nearly tied in the seventh as Chris Suchy walked with two outs and Matt Walker followed with a double to left-center. Suchy attempted to score but was thrown at home as the left-fielder Nivins relayed the ball to senior shortstop Chad Marshall (Paris, Ontario), who threw out Suchy at the plate.
Sophomore James Campbell (Bridgeport, Conn) relieved Stecko-Haley to start the eighth and retired the side in order. After the Seawolves did not score in the top of the ninth, Campbell walked Hunter to lead off the bottom of the inning.
Hunter then moved to second on a Bulger sacrifice before advancing to third on a ground out to short from pinch-hitter Mark Sorbara. But Campbell struck out Brendan Behm to end the game and pick up his third save.
Stecko-Haley allowed seven hits and walked just one. Marshall had two hits in game two and now needs just seven more to break the program's all-time hits record.
The teams will wrap up the series with a doubleheader on Sunday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.
