This afternoon the baseball team improved to 4-0 on the season in a 14-7 victory over Smithtown Christian. It is the best start to a baseball season since the 1995 squad began the year 5-0. The Bears fell behind early in their 8-7 walk off victory over the Knights on Tuesday, but had no such problem today as they built an early 4-0 lead and never looked back. Their 14 runs was the most in a game since a 20-7 win over Shelter Island/Ross on May 19, 2008. Joe Wozny earned his third win of the season to lead all of Suffolk County.

1st Inning (4-2)

Seamus Scanlon led off with a walk, then moved to third on a single by Aidan Mega. Joe Wozny followed with a two-run double to give the Brook a 2-0 lead with no outs. Ben Tutuska singled in Wozny, then moved to third on a ground out by Emmanuel Ajewole. A Nate Smith single scored Tutuska to cap the four-run inning. Wozny shut the door on the Knights on Tuesday with seven straight outs to end the game, but he ran into trouble in his 1st inning of work this afternoon. A leadoff double, a single, and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with no outs. A single pushed a run across and kept the bases loaded. A ground out scored a second run before another hit batsman loaded the bases again. The freshman showed resilience on the mound, closing the inning with a strikeout and a ground out to stem the tide.

2nd Inning (5-2)

The Bears began the top of the 2nd with two straight outs, but Mega kept swinging a hot bat, keeping the inning alive with a single. He moved to second on a throwing error to first, then scampered to third on a wild pitch before Wozny drove him in with a single for a 5-2 lead. Wozny settled down in the bottom of the 2nd, working around a walk with three strikeouts.

3rd Inning (5-2)

The Bears went down 1-2-3 in the top half of the inning and Wozny kept pace with a 1-2-3 inning of his own thanks to a ground out bookended by strikeouts.

4th Inning (9-2)

The Bears broke the game open in the top of the 4th thanks to three straight walks to begin the inning. After a pop out, Tutuska was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. Ajewole forced a run across with a walk and then Smith was hit by a pitch to score another run. After another pop out, Jack Derco drew a walk to score the fourth run of the inning without the benefit of a hit. Wozny struck out the side in the bottom half, completing a stretch during which he retired seven batters in a row.

5th Inning (10-2)

Scanlon opened the 5th with a double. After a pop out and a strikeout, Tutuska singled home Scanlon to give the Brook a 10-2 lead. Dan Rueda relieved Wozny in the bottom of the 5th. The sophomore gave up a lead off walk then retired the next three batters to maintain the commanding lead.

6th Inning (14-2)

Walks bookended a pair of strikeouts for the Bears in the top of the 6th. Scanlon continued his productive day at the plate with a single that scored Smith from second. Mega followed with a double to center field that plated Rueda. Wozny kept the inning alive by reaching on an error by the shortstop, scoring Scanlon in the process. A Tutuska double scored Mega to finish the scoring for the Bears. Rueda knifed through the three Knights’ batters in order with a ground out and two strikeouts.

7th Inning (14-7)

The Bears went scoreless in their half of the 7th and the Knights showed their resilience by plating five runs in the bottom of the inning, but the Bears prevailed with a 14-7 victory.

Batting	R	H	RBI	BB
Dan Moreno	–	–	–	1
Ben Tutuska	2	4	4	–
Dan Rueda	2	–	–	2
Nate Smith	1	1	2	1
Joe Wozny	1	2	3	–
Seamus Scanlon	4	2	1	2
Aidan Mega	4	3	1	1
Emman Ajewole	–	–	1	1
Jack Derco	–	–	1	1
Totals	14	12	13	10

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Joe Wozny	4.0	3	2	2	1	9
Dan Rueda	3.0	4	5	2	2	4
Totals	7.0	7	7	4	3	13

Next Up

The Bears’ final game of the series with Smithtown will likely be rained out tomorrow. Stay tuned for a make-up date.

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