Lowell, Mass. - Stony Brook baseball freshman Daniel Zamora (La Puente, Calif.) struck out a career-high 13 batters and was dominant for most of the day over eight innings, but Maine scored three runs in the sixth inning, and it was enough for a 3-1 win over the Seawolves in game five of the America East Championship, Friday at LeLacheur Park. The Seawolves have been eliminated from the tournament while Maine advances to the final round against Binghamton.
Stony Brook, which finishes third in the tournament, ends its season 25-34. The Seawolves were participating in their eighth consecutive conference tournament, the longest active streak of any active America East school.
Turning Point
Through the first five innings, Zamora cruised, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out seven Black Bears. But in the sixth, he issued a leadoff walk to Colin Gay. Sam Balzano followed with a high chopper over the first base bag for a double, and two batters later, Michael Fransoso pulled a single past the drawn-in infield on the right side to plate both Gay and Balzano, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. Maine tacked on a run on Eric White's RBI single, and that was enough to get the Black Bears past the Seawolves.
Stony Brook had scored a run in the fifth inning, but overall, it had just six hits on the day and was just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Inside the Numbers
- Zamora started for Stony Brook and pitched eight outstanding innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out a career-high 13 batters, including six in a row from the end of the sixth inning to the start of the eighth inning.
- Zamora ends the season as the team leader in strikeouts with 77.
- Freshman Brett Tenuto (Audubon, N.J.) had a one-out RBI single to right that scored freshman Johnny Caputo (Toronto, Ontario) from third. He is now 9-for-14 this season when there is a runner on third base and less than two outs.
News & Notes
- Stony Brook is now 20-14 all-time in the America East Championship, 8-7 against Maine. This is the fourth time that Maine has eliminated the Seawolves from the tournament.
- This was the eighth consecutive season that head coach Matt Senk has led Stony Brook to 25 or more wins.
