Opening Day in the northeast ⚾️ ❄️ pic.twitter.com/3nxtFF8UMl
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 26, 2021
Well, it’s not Port St. Lucie but Joe Nathan Field was the site for Stony Brook’s Opening Day in 2021. The Seawolves were slated to face the University of Michigan this weekend to kick off the season but obviously COVID was having none of that.
Matt Senk‘s squad opened up at home in February for the first time in school history. They were able to capture both ends of a DH against Sacred Heart University by the scores of 1-0 and 7-1. Pitching was lights-out in both games, but they put their foot on the gas pedal from the start in the second game.
Coach Senk thanked coach Tyler Kavanaugh following the game for having his pitchers prepared to go 80-85 pitches in the cold. He also noted that while scheduling has been tough in this pandemic-era, that his relationship with SHU Head Coach Nick Restaino made it easier to schedule this game on a whim.
Here’s how the action went down:
Game 1:
Jared Milch, the hard-throwing southpaw for the Seawolves, got the start in the first game. The teams traded zeros for the first five innings, despite some threats to score. The biggest jam Milch got out of was in the fourth when he walked the first two batters on full counts. The count went full on the next batter, but he induced a line out to left – which for a moment looked like it might drop in for a hit but the play was made by Johnny Decker. After he struck out Justin Levit, Elijah Brown made a bid for a three-run shot but the play was made on the warning track by RF Cole Durkan.
The Seawolves got two runners on in the home half of the fourth on a hit by pitch and single by John Tuccillo but Evan Giordano flew out to left and Brad Hipsley struck out to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, Milch walked the leadoff batter, but was bailed out by Tuccillo who nailed the runner trying to steal second. After a single by Danny Glendo, he was taken out in favor of Nick DiGennaro – normally a weekend starter but slated to pitch in relief on this day. He coaxed a fly out to left off the bat of Wantagh-grad Trevor Fagan and ended the inning with another fly out to left by Steven Schoe.
DiGennaro got into trouble in the sixth inning. He allowed a leadoff single by Justin Jorda, and a single by Justin Levit to put the go-ahead run in scoring position, but with two outs Elijah Brown grounded out to Stanton Leuthner at short.
Brett Paulsen grounded out to start the sixth inning, and it appeared Chris Hamilton had done the same, but the ball was booted by the second baseman to give the Seawolves some life. John LaRocca, making his Stony Brook-debut and hitting in the cleanup spot took a 3-2 pitch and ripped it just inside the third base line which allowed Hamilton to hustle all the way around the bases to get Stony Brook a 1-0 lead.
Following the game, LaRocca – who transferred this semester following New York Tech shutting down the program, stated that he was just looking to put the ball in play on a full count. He thanks Coach Senk for believing in him enough to put him in the cleanup spot in his debut. LaRocca, a grad student, began his collegiate career at Monmouth so he is no stranger to Division-I ball. In 20190’20 for New York Tech, he batted .352 with 55 RBI and 17 steals.
Tuccillo and Giordano struck out to end the sixth, but the damage was done.
In the seventh, DiGennaro went back out and promptly walked the leadoff batter, who was sacrificed to second to get the tying run in scoring position. He was able to bear down, though, and retire the next two batters including a strikeout to end the game.
Game 2
The match up for the second game was Sam Turcotte, the Toronto native, against Luke Hansen, the southpaw from Southold for Sacred Heart.
Both teams traded zeros in the 1st inning, although Chris Hamilton did rip a two-out double for the Seawolves and was stranded at third to end the inning. Turcotte had a dominant 1-2-3 inning in the second including two strikeouts to get his team back in the dugout.
Evan Giordano got the scoring going with a solo shot to left field in the second to give the Seawolves a 1-0 lead.
Another 1-2-3 inning for Turcotte in the third made the crowd start to notice he would be difficult to hit on this afternoon.
He got plenty of run support in the third inning, when the Seawolves essentially broke the game open and chased Hansen from the game. It all started on a leadoff double by Evan Fox to left field, who advanced to third on a wild pitch. Brett Paulsen drove him in with an RBI double to left center. He also advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an infield single by John LaRocca to make it 3-0. LaRocca stole second, and Chris Hamilton was hit by a pitch which removed Hansen in favor of Jake Babusch. Evan Giordano’s fielder’s choice scored LaRocca to make it 4-0 in favor of the Seawolves.
Turcotte went back out with another quick inning to allow the Seawolves’ bats to stay hot. They added another run in the fifth on a sac fly by LaRocca to score Johnny Decker. In the next inning, it was Decker who hit an RBI single to make it 6-0, and Chris Hamilton‘s RBI single extended the lead to 7-0.
After Austin Markm grounded out back to the mound to retire the side in order in the 7th, it was 21 up, 21 down for Turcotte.
The perfect game bid ended to lead off the eighth with a clean double by Robert Farru. At that time, Brian Morrisey came on in relief of Turcotte who left to a round of applause. Morrisey hit a batter and walked another, but escaped allowing just a fielder’s choice to make it a 7-1 game.
Matt Senk made some changes to get some freshmen into the game. Our audience should be familiar with most of them including Matt Brown-Eiring, Idris Carter, Andrew Ledbetter, Jack Carr and Derek Yalon.
Morrisey retired the side in order in the 9th to slam the door on the 7-1 victory.
Following the game, Turcotte said he has never thrown a no-hitter or perfect game at any level and never taken one this deep into a game.
The two teams will be back at it tomorrow at 1 pm.
