Tim Meehan had a single, double and home run as Stevens defeated No. 20 Kean, 5-4. |
HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 25, 2006) – Junior infielder Andrew Tesoriero (East Brunswick, N.J.) came up with a clutch two-out, pinch-hit single to drive in junior pitcher/infielder Adam Sandt (Allentown, Pa.) with the eventual winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team posted a 5-4 victory over No. 20 Kean University on Saturday at Dobbelaar Baseball Field in Hoboken, N.J. The Ducks evened their record at 1-1 on the year with the win while the Cougars fell to 0-1.
Senior outfielder Tim Meehan (Hawthorne, N.J.) led off the bottom of the eighth with his third hit of the day. Sandt followed with a single to left field as Meehan advanced to second base. With junior pitcher/infielder Ryan Birkenstock (Smithville, N.J.) at the plate and no outs, Meehan was picked off second. After Sandt stole second, Birkenstock worked out a walk – putting runners at first and second once again. Sophomore infielder John Frustaci (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) reached on a fielder’s choice as Birkenstock was forced out at second. Sandt advanced to third on the play.
With junior pitcher/outfielder Eric McCormick (Edison, N.J.) due up, head coach John Crane (Red Bank, N.J.) went to his bench as he called on Tesoriero, who proceeded to line the game-winning single through the right side.
In the top of the ninth, Sandt came on in relief and retired all three batters that he faced on a pair of fly outs and a groundball to second.
Sophomore pitcher Chris Burgess (Palisades Park, N.J.) worked 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win for the Ducks. Burgess (1-0) came on in the seventh inning to take over for freshman pitcher/infielder Bill Jennings (Southampton, N.J.) after Kean had tallied three runs to tie the score at 4-all. With one out and a runner at first, Burgess induced sophomore Derek Gianakas (Edison, N.J.) to ground into a fielder’s choice. Burgess then struck out junior shortstop Perry Schatzow (Ocean, N.J.) to end the rally.
Burgess worked out of trouble in the eighth after allowing a leadoff double to freshman outfielder Mike Shymanski (Edison, N.J.). With runners on the corners and one out, sophomore outfielder Kevin O’Neill (Union, N.J.) bluffed on a steal attempt of second base. Ducks’ sophomore catcher David Katusa (Somerset, N.J.) threw to second on the play – allowing Shymanski to break for home. Sandt’s return throw to the plate was in time to cut down Shymanski. Burgess snuffed out the Cougars’ threat by striking out sophomore infielder Maikel De La Rosa (Newark, N.J.).
Stevens scratched out a run in the bottom of the first as Meehan doubled to left field and advanced to third on Sandt’s single to center. Birkenstock followed with an RBI groundout to the right side of the infield as Meehan scored on the play.
In the bottom of the third, Meehan homered with one out as the Ducks took a 2-1 lead. Stevens added to its lead in the fourth inning as Frustaci led off with a double to left center. With one out, Katusa singled to center to plate Frustaci with the Ducks’ third run of the game. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, Stevens scratched out a run as Sandt came through with a two-out base hit – the 100th of his career – to left to score senior pitcher/outfielder Gerard Moreno (Bogota, N.J.), who reached on a fielder’s choice earlier in the inning.
Meehan had a big day at the plate for Stevens as he went 3-for-4 with a single, double and home run. Meehan also scored two runs and had an RBI. Sandt was 3-for-4 with an RBI, run scored and pair of stolen bases. Katusa added a pair of hits and had one RBI.
For Kean, Shymanski was 2-for-4 with a double and run scored. Junior first baseman/pitcher Aaron Richard (Plainfield, N.J.) had a pair of hits, including a two-run single during the Cougars’ rally in the seventh. Junior pitcher Daniel Zeffiro (Old Bridge, N.J.) was saddled with the loss after allowing Tesoriero’s game-winning single in the eighth. Zeffiro allowed four hits and only one run over 3.2 innings of relief work.
Sophomore pitcher Scott Picerno (Bayonne, N.J.) started for the Ducks and allowed three hits and one run while striking out two over four innings. Jennings surrendered three runs and four hits over 2.1 innings in relief of Picerno.
Stevens will be back in action on Wednesday when the Ducks play their third straight game against a ranked opponent as they host No. 25 Eastern Connecticut State University at 3 p.m.
