BASEBALL FALLS AT ST. JOHN'S 5-4

Score: St. John’s 5, UAlbany 4

Location: Jack Kaiser Stadium in Queens, N.Y.

Records: UAlbany (12-15, 4-5 AE); St. John’s (17-11, 2-1 Big East)

Short Story: UAlbany comes up just short at St. John’s despite home runs from Nick Kondo and Matt Codispoti.

Coach Mueller: “We had solid contributions from Morrisroe and St. Clair on the mound today. Kondo continues to be explosive at the plate and Codispoti is finding a comfort zone. St. John’s didn’t give us too many opportunities and we gave away too much during critical times late in the game.”

Key Stats

Matt Codispoti hit 2-4 with a home run and three RBIs
Nick Kondo hit 1-3 with a home run and a stolen base
Connor Morrisroe lasted 2.0 innings, allowing one walk with two strikeouts
Daniel St. Clair pitched 2.0 relief innings, allowing one hit

Recap

The University at Albany baseball team returned to action Tuesday after winning their first America East series of the season over the weekend at UMass Lowell. Tuesday afternoon, the Great Danes hit two home runs but came up just short at St. John’s, falling 5-4.

After two scoreless innings to open the game, UAlbany scored first when Nick Kondo connected on a one-out solo home run. St. John’s tied the game at one in the bottom of the inning, and then went up 2-1 after scoring once in the bottom of the fourth.

UAlbany took a 4-2 lead after scoring three runs in the top of the sixth. Alex Thul, pinch-hitting for Will Feil, hit a leadoff single to left, and advanced to second when Travis Collins worked a walk after a full count. The next batter, Marc Wangenstein, struck out, before Matt Codispoti hit a three-run home run to left.

St. John’s came back to tie the game at four in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs, and then took the lead in the bottom of the eighth with one score. In the top of the ninth, Brad Malm hit a leadoff single to right before Patrick Lagravinese grounded into a double play. With two outs, Dolan Ocasal came up to bat and grounded out to the pitcher, ending the game with St. John’s claiming a 5-4 victory.

Kondo finished hitting 1-3 with a home run and a stolen base, extending his hitting streak to six games. Codispoti finished 2-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Connor Morrisroe pitched 2.0 innings on the mound, allowing just one walk while striking out two, and Daniel St. Clair pitched 2.0 relief innings, allowing just one hit.

Next: The Great Danes kick off a four-game home stand starting with a three-game set against UMBC this weekend.