BEVERLY, Mass. (March 1, 2020) – For the second consecutive game, the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team fell on a walk-off as they dropped a 9-8 contest on the road against Endicott College Sunday at North Field.

Tied 8-8 in the bottom of the ninth, Endicott first baseman Kyle Brennan lifted a two-out walk-off home run over the right field wall to give the Gulls a 9-8 victory over the Ducks. Stevens has dropped each of their last four contests by a total of just five runs.

Sophomore Tom James led the way for Stevens at the plate as he finished 2 for 5 at the plate with a double and four RBIs. It is the second straight game James has collected multiple hits and multiple RBIs as he closed the week 4 for 10 with seven RBIs overall.

The Gulls got multiple hits from three separate players including Brennan who finished 2 for 4 with an RBI, two walks and two runs scored. Additionally, Endicott got a two-hit, three RBI performance from Justin Wardwell as they collected their first win of the 2020 season.

Junior Nate Zuckerman was also fantastic offensively for the Ducks, going 3 for 4 with three runs scored and a walk. Zuckerman collected three hits for the first time in his career and now leads the team with a 1.042 OPS this season.

Stevens continues to play tight contests as all five losses on the season for the Ducks have either gone to extra innings or been one-run affairs.

The Ducks started the scoring immediately in the top half of the first. Zuckerman started the inning with a single, moved to second on a walk by A.J. Falconite and advanced to third after a single through the right side by Thomas Paulich. With the bases juiced and nobody out, James delivered the big blow as he roped a three-RBI double into the right centerfield gap to clear the bases and give Stevens an early lead.

The score remained 3-0 until the third when Endicott responded with a five-run inning thanks to a two-RBI single through the right side from Jordan Carvalho and a bases-clearing three-RBI triple off the bat of Justin Wardwell to give the Gulls a 5-3 advantage.

In the top half of the fifth trailing by two, Stevens was able to cut the deficit in half after an RBI single up the middle from James plated Zuckerman.

The Ducks took the lead one inning later. After Sutton Dole ripped an RBI double into left center to score Chris Silos, Falconite came to the plate with runners on second and third and two away with a chance to give the Ducks the lead. The senior came through with a two-RBI double into right center to plate both runs and give Stevens a 7-5 edge.

The home team was not done, however, as they scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth thanks to an RBI infield single off the bat of Anthony Macchia, an RBI ground-rule double from Matthew McKinley and an RBI groundout by Thomas Barbieri to re-take the lead 8-7.

In the top half of the ninth, Stevens showed their fight as Zuckerman led off the inning with a triple and was brought home on an RBI groundout off the bat of Thomas Paulich to tie things up.

After a leadoff walk was erased in the bottom of the ninth by Zuckerman on a caught stealing, Stevens looked like they would be forcing extra innings once again as Anthony Pron (0-2) got a lineout for the second out of the inning.

Brennan ensured no free baseball would be played as he lifted a 1-2 pitch from Pron over the left center field wall to clinch the win for the Gulls.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens pitching was able to dance out of danger multiple times on the day, stranding a total of 13 runners on base.
• Dole joined Zuckerman and James with multiple hits after going 2 for 4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored.
• The Ducks out-hit the Gulls 10-9 in the contest. It is the fourth time in eight games this season Stevens has managed to produce double-digit knocks in a game.
• Ryan Shea was effective out of the bullpen, tossing 4.0 innings and allowing three runs on three hits and striking out one.
• Chandler Brierley got the start on the hill and fanned four over 2.1 innings while allowing four runs on three hits.
• Joseph Brown (1-0) picked up the win in relief as he allowed just one run on one hit in 3.1 inning of action while punching out five.
• The Gulls were efficient on the mound, walking just three batters while Stevens pitching issued 13 free passes.
• Stevens registered four doubles and a triple in the game, the most extra-base hits they have produced in a game this season.

From the Dugout (Head Coach Kristaps Aldins)

• "This is one heck of a resilient group and our coaching staff absolutely loves this team for that attribute. I have no doubt that this adversity we are facing with these close losses is building toughness for this team."
• "One thing that I can tell with certainty is that this team loves baseball. We can see it in their day-to-day actions and how they come to the ballpark each day both for game and trainings. There are very few greater feelings as a coach than to feel that vibe from your team. These are student-athletes who love to compete."

Up Next

• Stevens returns to the diamond Wednesday when they take on Stockton University at 5:00 p.m. in Hoboken, New Jersey.
• The Ducks and Ospreys have not played since the 2012 season when Stevens grabbed a thrilling 3-2 win over Stockton on May 12 in the ECAC Tournament.
• Live stats and video will be available on StevensDucks.com.

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