Score: UAlbany 5, Sacred Heart 3
Location: Vets Memorial Field in Bridgeport, Conn.
Records: UAlbany (25-21, 11-9 AE); Sacred Heart (18-30-1, 10-11 NEC)
Short Story: UAlbany extends its winning streak to six with a 5-3 victory over Sacred Heart in the regular season non-conference finale.
Coach Mueller: "Today we were able to get a number of pitchers involved in preparation for the weekend series with Hartford. St. Clair was able to secure his first college win and we continue to play good team defense.”
Key Stats
Recap
The University at Albany baseball team defeated Sacred Heart on Tuesday in its 2019 regular season non-conference finale, and extended its season-long winning streak to six games.
UAlbany got on the board first, scoring once in the top of the second inning. Brad Malm hit a leadoff single to right, and advanced to third when Matt Codispoti and Dolan Ocasal worked back-to-back walks. Malm scored two batters later when Nick Kondo worked a walk with the bases loaded.
Sacred Heart tied the game at one in the bottom of the third. Two scoreless innings went by before UAlbany put up three runs in the top of the sixth. Josh Loeffler led off with a single to center. He advanced to third when Kondo singled to center. Kenny Hayden came up to the plate, pinch hitting for Travis Collins. Kondo and Loeffler pulled off a double steal, with Loeffler scoring and Kondo taking second. An error by the Sacred Heart catcher on the play allowed the score, and allowed Kondo to take third.
Hayden reached on a fielder's choice that saw Kondo thrown out at the plate. Next, Alex Thul pinch-hit for Donati, striking out after Hayden stole second. Hayden scored when Marc Wangenstein hit a single. Wangenstein scored when Lagravinese hit a single following the Sacred Heart pitching change.
Sacred Heart scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to cut the lead to one. UAlbany added an insurance run in the top of the ninth in response. Malm worked a leadoff walk before Codispoti singled to left. Ocasal laid down a sacrifice bunt, putting runners on second and third with one out. Loeffler loaded the bases after getting hit by a pitch, leading to Kondo reaching safely on a fielder's choice that allowed Malm to cross the plate and push UAlbany's lead to 5-3, which would prove to be the final score.
UAlbany saw eight pitchers take the mound during the game, with freshman Daniel St. Clair earning his first victory as a Great Dane, striking out one and allowing no hits. Kenny McLean got the start, pitching 1.0 inning, striking out one and allowing one hit.
Next: UAlbany wraps the regular season with a three-game series against Hartford at Varsity Field starting Friday, May 17.
