The baseball team improved to 3-0 for the first time since 1996 after a thrilling comeback victory in the waning light of Monday evening.

1st Inning (0-1)

Seamus Scanlon took the hill for the Bears and quickly got into trouble. After inducing a ground out to the leadoff hitter, the sophomore yielded back-to-back doubles that gave the Knights a 1-0 lead. With a runner in scoring position and just one out, Scanlon showed his toughness by striking out the final two batters of the inning. The Bears went scoreless in their half of the 1st.

2nd Inning (1-5)

Stony Brook ran into more trouble in the top of the 2nd as the three-time reigning Class D Regional Champions batted around in the inning. An error, three singles, two walks, a hit by pitch, and a wild pitch brought four more runs across as the Knights took a 5-0 lead. In the bottom half, the Bears got one back as Nate Smith drew a walk, stole second, moved to third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch.

3rd Inning (3-6)

In the top of the 3rd, Aidan Mega relieved Scanlon on the mound and showed resilience in a tough inning. Two hit batsmen and a walk loaded the bases before another walk pushed a run across, giving Smithtown Christian a 6-1 edge. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Mega dug down and got the Bears out of the inning without any more damage. A wild pitch sent the runner from third, but Dan Moreno pounced on the ball and flipped to Mega for the tag. Mega followed that with a strikeout, a hit batsman to load the bases, and a ground out to keep the Brook in it. Two singles from Scanlon and Mega gave the Bears life in the bottom half of the inning. The runners advanced on steals to bring Joe Wozny to the plate with no outs. The freshman roped a single to plate two and bring the Brook within 6-3. Two strikeouts ended the Bear threat.

4th Inning (4-6)

Mega bounced back with a tremendous top of the 4th, retiring three batters in order with a ground out and two strikeouts. The Bears picked up another run in the bottom half. Smith trotted to first base after being hit by a pitch then moved to second after a ground out. Moreno followed by lacing a double to right-center that scored the senior first baseman.

5th Inning (5-7)

The Knights extended their lead to 7-4 in the top of the 5th with a run-scoring double. After yielding a two-out walk, Mega was relieved by Wozny. The importance of Mega’s pitching performance cannot be overstated. He gave up just two runs in 2.2 innings of work, registering three strikeouts. Wozny induced a ground out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 5th, the Bears continued to chip away as Scanlon walked, stole second, and came around to score on a throwing error on a Mega single. However, the Bears were picked off for the third time in the game, stemming the Bear rally.

6th Inning (6-7)

Wozny pitched a perfect top of the 6th, striking out the side to energize the Bears. Smith led off the bottom half with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error. He moved to third on a ground out, then scored just a head of the tag, thanks to some deft base running on a shallow Moreno sacrifice fly to bring the Bears within 7-6.

7th Inning (8-7)

Wozny sliced through the Knights in the top of the 7th, mowing them down in order for six straight strikeouts, to the delight of a large group of students who descended on the field following dinner. They witnessed a great rally in the dying light and the Bears’ first walk off win since April 9, 2014. Scanlon reached on a single and advanced to second on a throwing error. After a pop up, Wozny singled to put runners on first and second. Ben Tutuska moved both runners into scoring position with a out-out ground out, bringing Emmanuel Ajewole to the plate. The freshman drilled a grounder to the shortstop and reached on a single, but the ball skipped past the first baseman allowing Wozny to come around and score the game-winning run in the thrilling 8-7 win.

With their three wins to start the season, the Bears have already eclipsed their win total from a season ago when they finished 2-18. The victory also ended a three-game losing streak to the Knights who swept the Bears in a three-game series last season. Their last win over Smithtown Christian came on May 7, 2015 in a 12-9 win over the eventual Class D State Champions.

The Bears are rained out today and will hopefully be back in action tomorrow at Smithtown Christian.

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