PITTSFORD, N.Y. (May 12, 2017) – Thomas Pasquale scored the game-winning run on a walk-off wild pitch to cap a wild day of baseball as No. 14 St. John Fisher College upended the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team 7-6 Friday afternoon in an elimination game in the 2017 Empire 8 Conference Tournament. The loss ended Stevens' 2017 season. The Ducks finished 19-23-1 and 9-9 in E8 play.
The afternoon matchup was necessary after the Ducks suffered a 4-1 setback to Ithaca College earlier in the day. Stevens had advanced to the winner's bracket after Friday's victory over St. John Fisher. The Cardinals rallied to defeat Elmira earlier Friday in an elimination game.
"We got second life by getting into this tournament and to say we took advantage of it would be an understatement," head coach
Kristaps Aldins said. "What this trip did for us is incredibly important for next year and beyond. Giving our underclassmen a chance to compete in this environment cannot be replicated in any other way."
Pasquale began the season-ending rally with a leadoff double off
Andrew Hamel (0-4). Ryan Prevost singled to third and both runners advanced a base with Hamel's pickoff attempt was off-target with pinch-hitter Jack Trotman at the plate. Trotman wouldn't get a chance to be the hero, however, as Hamel's pitch sailed away from catcher
Matt Branco, allowing Prevost to cross home with the winning run.
Stevens had drawn even with the Cardinals in the seventh on senior
Michael Mule's solo home run. Mule' went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. St. John Fisher had reclaimed a slim edge in the fifth on Ryan Fahy's solo homer off Hamel after Stevens rallied for two runs in the fourth and two in the fifth to knot the game at five behind RBIs from
Patrick Rood,
Harrison Kaye and
Zeph Walters. It was the third time the resilient Stevens offense had forced a tie.
After Mule' tied the game, the Ducks had runners on in each of the final two innings, but Allen Murphy (1-0) struck out a pair of runners to earn the victory. Before Pasquale's ninth-inning double, Hamel had retired 10 consecutive batters to allow the Stevens offense to get on track.
The elimination rematch with the nationally-ranked Cardinals was necessary after Ithaca's Jake Binder scattered six hits in a complete-game victory, leading the Bombers to victory.
Ithaca struck for a run in the third to open the scoring. Wes Little reached on a two-out error and scored when Trevor Thompson doubled to right and right fielder
Zeph Walters' throw sailed wild.
Stevens knotted the game in the bottom of the inning on Rood's sacrifice fly, but the tied score only lasted four batters.
Quinn DiPasquale (3-4) struck out designated hitter Andrew Bailey with one out in the fourth, but the third strike was wild, allowing Bailey to reach. The junior pitcher attempted to pick off Bailey at first, but his throw flew past
P.J. Wiegartner allowing Bailey to reach to third. Catcher Adam Gallagher drove in the run with a flyout to center. DiPasqule finished the day allowing two unearned runs over four innings.
Sam Little added a two-run homer in the fifth to account for the final runs of the game.
Stevens threatened in the fifth.
Nolan Bennett led off with a single.
Carlos Leon singled to second, but Josh Savacool made a nifty play to catch Bennett at second. Wiegartner followed with a hard-hit ball off Binder (8-1), but left fielder Domenic Boresta was positioned perfectly and doubled Leon off at first to end the threat.
Ruegger allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits over five innings in his second-longest outing of the season.
The game with the Cardinals closed the careers of seniors
Zeph Walters,
Harrison Kaye,
Garrett Wells,
Bridger Cohen,
P.J. Wiegartner,
Nolan Bennett, and
Michael Mule'.
"To our seniors, I want to say a heartfelt thank you," Aldins reflected. "They gave everything they had and can walk away from this experience and the 2017 season with their heads held high."
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