CHESTER, Pa. (March 31, 2023) – Junior Jack Irby had two RBI, a hit, and scored a run, but it wasn't enough as the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team lost to Widener 4-3 Friday afternoon in a non-conference matchup at Widener Baseball Field.

Senior's Ben Tobio, Michael Reyes, and Chris Davis, along with junior Christian Kreiser, each recorded a hit in the game. Reyes and Kreiser also added a run while Davis tallied an RBI. Stevens is now 16-7 on the season and 2-2 across their last four games.

Aaron Nuble hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to give Widener their ninth win of the year, as they improved to 9-14. They win the first ever matchup between the two teams. Aidan O'Brien (3-5) earned the win for the Pride, as he pitched the final two innings of the game. He allowed no runs or hits and struck out four Duck batters.

It looked like Stevens may run away with the game in the first inning after putting up three quick runs. After Tobio hit a leadoff single, sophomore Victor Schilleci grounded into a double play. The Ducks then rattled off four straight singles. Reyes hit an infield single followed by a Kreiser single which moved Reyes to third. Irby then singled to center and advanced to second on the throw. Reyes scored easily while Kreiser was able to score via an error as the Ducks led 2-0. Irby then advanced to third on a wild pitch before being brought home on a single from Davis.

Stevens had all five of their hits in the first inning. The Pride's starting pitcher, Hayden O'Neill, gave the home team seven good innings on the mound. He gave up three runs in the first, but struck out four Duck batters and walked two. 

The Pride got on the board in the third inning thanks to an RBI double from Kyle Brex. That made the score 3-1 in favor of the Ducks.

After an RBI single from Widener's Andrew Yates cut the deficit in half in the fifth inning, senior Justin Doyle, who started the game for Stevens, exited the game with a 3-1 lead. He only allowed one earned run on three hits and struck out eight batters.

Sophomore Matt Villapiano came in relief and gave the Ducks 1.2 innings. He gave up one run on one hit, which came in the seventh as the Pride tied things up heading into the final innings. 

First-year Erik Sibbach pitched the eighth inning for the Ducks and made quick work of the Pride. He only allowed one hit and one walk as the two teams remained tied heading into the ninth.

Widener was able to score the winning run in the ninth after taking a leadoff walk. They then followed that up with a sacrifice bunt and then a single to center from Nuble to take down Stevens.

Senior Anthony Pron (1-1) made it through a third of an inning. He allowed one run on one hit and walked one batter.

After the first inning, had five base runners for the rest of the game. Four came off of Widener walks and one came off of an error. 

The three runs scored is the lowest total for the Ducks in a game since March 15, when they scored three in a 3-2 win over Babson in Punta Gorda, Florida. The three runs is also matched for the second lowest run total on the season, as they only managed two in a 5-2 loss to Montclair State on March 3.

Up Next: Baseball finishes a two-game series with Widener tomorrow. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. The two teams have never faced each other prior to yesterday's game. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.