Baseball Edges St. Peter’s 11-10 in 11-Inning Slugfest
Apr 5, 2008
JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Senior Peter Allen (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) drew a bases loaded walk in the top of the 11th inning to give the Fairfield University baseball team the 11-10 victory against Saint Peter's College this afternoon in a four-hour, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) slugfest.
Allen's walk capped off a solid day for the designated hitter, as he finished 2-for-5 with a double, two walks, two RBI, and two runs scored. Senior Pat Hoban (Malvern, Pa.) also was instrumental in the Fairfield (6-18, 4-3 MAAC) offense going 4-for-7 with two RBI and a run scored. Junior Mike Joyce (Smithtown, N.Y.) was 3-for-6 with two runs scored.
Hoban started things off in the 11th inning with a leadoff single. Saint Peter's (12-12, 4-3 MAAC), however, was able to get Hoban at second base on an Adam Chilelli (Garden City, N.Y.) sacrifice attempt and then retired senior Brian Rudolph (Washington Twp., N.J.). With two outs, freshman Tucker Nathans (Warwick, N.Y.), the reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week, drew the first of three consecutive walks that would plate Chilelli and give the Stags the win.
In the bottom of the 11th inning, reliever Dan Urbanovich (Nutley, N.J.) hit the leadoff batter but then retired the final three Peacocks in order for his third win of the year. Urbanovich pitched two scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit will striking out two batters.
The two teams combined for 21 runs on 29 hits and eight errors. Fairfield had a season-high 17 hits while Saint Peter's recorded 12 hits and five errors. The Stags left 17 runners on base while the Peacocks stranded 11.
Saint Peter's started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, touching up starter Rob Gariano (Nutley, N.J.) for five runs in the frame. The Stags responded with a four-run third inning. Hoban drove in the Stags' first run of the day with a single while sophomore Matt Tiagwad (Mt. Laurel, N.J.) followed with an RBI double. Rudolph cleared the bases with a two-run single to center with one out in the inning.
The Stags took the 9-5 lead in the top of the fifth by tacking five runs on the board. Gariano, in the meantime, settled down and did not allow another Saint Peter's runner to cross the plate until the sixth inning when Joe Romano trotted home to pull the Peacocks within 9-6.
Fairfield added another run in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI single by Hoban which plated Allen. The Peacocks got the run back in the bottom half of the frame, however, on an RBI triple by Conor Mullee.
Trailing 10-7, Saint Peter's put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, posting three runs on four hits off of reliever Kevin Fico (Stamford, Conn.) to force extra innings.
Nathans extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a double in the fifth inning. Rudolph went 2-for-5 with a double, two walks, and two RBI while freshman Chris Horning (Potomac, Md.) was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Fairfield, in the midst of a 10-game road swing, will conclude the series at Saint Peter's tomorrow, April 6, with a doubleheader beginning at noon.
