Baseball Overcome By Hawaii, 12-6, In Series Finale
BOX SCORE
HONOLULU – The University at Albany baseball team held a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh inning, but the hosting University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors rallied Sunday afternoon to score eight straight runs in the final two innings en route to a 12-6 overthrow. The Great Danes fell to 0-4 on the season in the series finale, while Hawaii improved to 4-4 overall.
Totaling seven hits as a team, redshirt senior Josh Nethaway led UAlbany, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, while Brian Bullard added one hit, one run, and one RBI.
On the mound, freshman Stephen Woods made his debut, throwing the first four innings. He allowed four runs (three earned), four hits, and struck out two. The bullpen was busy throughout the game, as Brendan Ryan, Andrew Jaurique (0-2), Stephen Carey, Joey Moore, and Terry Dugdale shared time on the mound.
In the bottom of the first, Hawaii took the initial lead, scoring on a wild pitch, and took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on an unearned run.
The Great Danes knotted the score in the top of the fifth, as Nethaway, Evan Harasta, and D.J. Hoagboon strung together three consecutive singles to load the bases. Nethaway scored on a double play, and Harasta came home on Alex Lushkevich's single to left.
However, Hawaii answered back immediately with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, scoring on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly.
Runs came in pairs for the Danes again in the top of the sixth. Bullard knocked in Cory Kingston from third and Harasta brought in Bullard with a sac fly to center, tying the ballgame again, 4-4.
In the top of the seventh, the Great Danes took the lead, 5-4, scoring with the help of two errors.
However, that would be UAlbany's last lead of the game, as Hawaii rallied to score four runs on four hits in the bottom of the seventh and four more runs in the bottom of the eighth.
The Danes managed one unearned run in the top of the ninth before Hawaii notched the game's final out.
Jordan DePonte (1-1) earned the win for the 'Bows, throwing two innings of middle relief, while Jaurique took the loss.
UAlbany will return to the Northeast for a three-game series at Central Connecticut State, March 1-2.
