Evan Giordano on the 9-4 victory for Stony Brook over Iona pic.twitter.com/PbtsDkscKo
— Axcess Elite (@axcess_elite) March 11, 2020
With one badly-needed offensive spurt, the Stony Brook Seawolves were able come away with a 9-4 victory over the Iona Gaels.
Trailing 4-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, the Seawolves posted a six-spot sparked by a two-run shot by freshman Brett Paulsen and a two-run single to right field by freshman Derek Yalon to tie it up. Johnny Decker followed with an RBI infield single and a bases loaded walk to Brad Hipsley gave them an insurance run. They added to that lead on a solo shot by Evan Giordano, the team’s leading hitter, in the sixth inning.
The victory was important for the Seawolves, who were sputtering offensively with a team batting average of .194 with 2.6 runs per game through their first 13 contests. They also were getting no-hit by Iona starter Chris Dodrill, but were able to do some damage against reliever Quentin Crudo.
Iona went to the bullpen again, but the damage was already done by that point.
Stony Brook starter Brandon Lashley was making his first career start. He labored a bit, needing 66 pitches to navigate through 3 innings, allowing three ER on five hits and a walk. He was relieved by sophomore Ben Fero, who allowed a run (unearned) in the fourth, but settled down and wound up being the pitcher of decision. He held the fort, striking out five and allowing just three hits over four innings.
Brandon Bonanno fired two shutout innings to slam the door. His fastball was up to 92 MPH and combined that with a devastating slider.
The Seawolves improve to 5-9 on the season and will be right back in action tomorrow at Joe Nathan Field as they host Merrimack College at 3 pm.
