(05-10-08)
BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. -- Matt Sommo (photo) struck out 11 in a complete game victory to help the No. 2 University of New Haven past No. 6 Adelphi in the opening game of the ECC Baseball Championships, but the Chargers fell to No. 4 C.W. Post, 5-1, in their second game on Saturday.
With the split, UNH (23-24) must now win three times on Sunday to take the conference championship. They will first take on Adelphi, again, at 9:00 a.m. and will then need to defeat C.W. Post twice in a row to capture the title.
C.W. Post opened their day with a win over STAC. After losing to UNH, Adelphi rebounded to oust top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College later in the day to stay alive. The full bracket appears below.
GAME ONE - (2) UNH 4, (6) Adelphi 0
Starter Matt Sommo allowed just five hits and struck out 11 in a nine-inning, complete-game shutout of Adelphi (24-24). UNH improves to 23-23 overall with the win, and moved on to play fourth-seeded C.W. Post later in the day.
Sommo was excellent, using 112 pitches to get through the nine-inning game. He allowed just five hits - and no other baserunners - while shutting out the Panthers. Sommo allowed just one baserunner through the first five innings, a single in the fourth, before putting two on in both the sixth and seventh.
He got out of both innings unscathed, leaving runners at first and third in the sixth with a flyout to right. He got a strikeout and a popup to short stop in the seventh to strand men on first and second.
Four different players drove in runs for the Chargers, including Michael Moras (2-for-4, double), Tom Rombilus, Adam Rozum and Nick Sperounis.
GAME TWO - (4) C.W. Post 5, (2) UNH 1
Jimmy Rivas finished 3-for-4 and drove in the lone run for UNH (23-24), which managed eight hits but got just one run in the top of the first inning in the loss.
Pete Budkevics scattered seven hits and four walks in 8 1/3 innings, allowing just one run to UNH to pick up the victory for fourth-seeded C.W. Post (27-26). The Pioneers advance to the ECC Championship game, and await the winner of the Adelphi-UNH rematch on Sunday.
Sperounis and Kyle Bombace each had two hits for the Chargers, who stranded nine baserunners in the game. After scoring in the top of the first, UNH left two men on as a groundout ended the frame. They left two more in the eighth and ninth innings as they were unable to log anything more than a single after the fourth inning.
Bryan Bonin was 3-for-3 for C.W. Post which had five different players drive in a run apiece.
2008 ECC Baseball Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 7 (single elimination)
(6) Adelphi 3 at (3) Dowling 0 (Dowling eliminated)
(5) Molloy 6 at (4) C.W. Post 10 (Molloy eliminated)
Friday, May 9 - Rain, schedule moved to Saturday
Saturday, May 10 (double elimination)
Game 1 - (2) New Haven 4, (6) Adelphi 0 (at Dowling)
Game 2 - (4) C.W. Post 9, (1) St. Thomas Aquinas 4 (at Adelphi)
Game 3 - (6) Adelphi 3, (1) St. Thomas Aquinas 1 (STAC eliminated)
Game 4 - (4) C.W. Post 5, (2) New Haven 1 (at Dowling)
Sunday, May 11 - (at Dowling)
Game 5 - (6) Adelphi vs. (2) New Haven, 9:00 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 6 - (4) C.W. Post vs. Winner Game 5, 12:00 p.m.
Game 7 - (4) C.W. Post vs. Winner Game 6, 3:00 p.m. (if necessary)
