Scott Picerno pitched well on Thursday as he allowed no earned runs and seven hits in the Ducks' loss. |
PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (May 4, 2006) – Four late-inning errors led to three unearned runs as No. 3 seed Stevens Institute of Technology suffered a 3-0 loss to second-seeded St. Joseph’s College in the opening round of the Skyline Conference Baseball Championship on Thursday at Alfano Field in Patchogue, N.Y. The Ducks (27-11) now sit in the unenviable position of having to win two games on Saturday and two more on Sunday in order to qualify for the NCAA Division III tournament for the second time in program history.
Locked in a scoreless tie in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Golden Eagles (20-16) mounted a rally as sophomore designated hitter Tyler Ruthizer (Bethpage, N.Y.) led off with a double. Sophomore second baseman Rich Rivera (Holtsville, N.Y.) followed with a fly ball down the right-field line that senior pitcher/outfielder Gerard Moreno (Bogota, N.J.) caught for the first out. Pinch runner Mike Gerdes (Wantagh, N.Y.) bluffed tagging up at second on the play as Moreno hurried his throw back to the infield. Moreno’s throw sailed wide of both relay men and went down the left-field line – allowing Gerdes to advance to third base on the error. Sophomore left fielder Steve Weiner (Deer Park, N.Y.) lifted a sacrifice fly to right as Gerdes scored the first run of the game.
In the eighth, junior centerfielder John Fiske (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) reached on an error by junior infielder Andrew Tesoriero (East Brunswick, N.J.) with one out. Junior first baseman Steve Pileggi (Lake Grove, N.Y.) lifted a lazy fly ball into left-center that senior outfielder Tim Meehan (Hawthorne, N.J.) caught for what should have been the third out of the inning. On the play, Meehan overthrew junior pitcher/outfielder Adam Sandt (Allentown, Pa.) and Tesoriero at second – allowing Fiske to advance one base. Junior third baseman Edwin Delgado (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) followed with a clutch two-out single to drive in Fiske with the second run of the game. Delgado later scored from second base on an infield single off the bat of Gerdes.
Sandt, who was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, was one of the few bright spots on the offensive side as the Ducks were limited to just five hits. Sophomore infielder John Frustaci (Franklin Lakes, N.J.), freshman pitcher/outfielder Joe Gunshor (Ridgefield, Conn.) and Meehan had one hit apiece.
The Ducks’ poor offensive showing wasted a solid outing once again from sophomore pitcher Scott Picerno (Bayonne, N.J.), who allowed seven hits and no earned runs while striking out five batters in 7.2 innings of work. During his last two starts, Stevens has not scored a run with Picerno on the mound. Last Wednesday, Picerno gave up just two hits during a 2-0 loss at Centenary College in which the Ducks were no-hit.
Picerno (5-2) was out-dueled by junior pitcher Frank D’Aversa (Hauppauge, N.Y.), who continued his mastery over the Skyline Conference. In two outings against the Ducks this year, D’Aversa is 2-0 with a pair of complete-game shutouts. During those two games, he has allowed just 11 singles. In Wednesday’s game, D’Aversa (4-1) surrendered five hits while striking out six batters. In the process, he extended his streak to 41 straight innings without giving up an earned run to a Skyline opponent.
Delgado had a big game for the Golden Eagles as he finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Sophomore right fielder Alex Regruto (Syosset, N.Y.) collected two hits in the game. Gerdes was 1-for-1 with an RBI and run scored.
Stevens’ best chance to score came in the fifth inning when the Ducks loaded the bases with two outs. With Frustaci at the plate, D’Aversa quickly fell behind in the count 3-0, but he was able to battle back to get the Ducks’ first baseman to chase a pitch up in the zone that would have been ball four and forced in a run. Stevens had several other chances to score, but the Ducks could not come up with the big hit as they left nine runners on base in the game.
Stevens will now have to fight its way out of the loser’s bracket as the double-elimination tournament relocates to Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, N.Y. On Saturday at 3 p.m., the Ducks will play the loser of tonight’s opening-round game between top-seeded Centenary College and No. 4 seed Manhattanville College. If Stevens wins that game, the Ducks would then play a second game on Saturday at approximately 6 p.m. The Skyline Championship culminates with one or two games on Sunday. The first contest will start at noon.
