Senior reliever Sam DeCelle, who entered the game with an 11.30 ERA, stranded the bases loaded in the ninth inning as Albany ousted the University of Maine 9-8 in their elimination game at the America East baseball tourney Thursday night at LeLacheur Field in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Sixth seed Maine finished up at 20-35.
Albany reliever Joe Romero, who had pitched out of an eighth-inning jam, issued one-out walks to Brenden Geary and Caleb Kerbs and lefthander DeCelle walked the first man he faced, Lou Della Fera, to load the bases.
DeCelle went to a 3-1 count on senior Brett Chappell before striking him out on a high 3-2 fastball. He then induced Jeremy Pena to fly to left to earn his first save of the season.
“Both teams were grinding. They got the big hit and we didn’t,” Maine coach Steve Trimper said Friday.
Maine spotted the Great Danes a 4-0 lead and never led but used a four-run eighth-inning rally to pull within 9-8.
However, with the tying run at second and one out, junior reliever Romero, who entered the game with a 9.64 ERA, got Maine RBI leader Colin Ridley to foul out to third before striking out Tyler Schwanz.
The Black Bears had closed to within 5-4 with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh but the Great Danes responded with four runs in the bottom of the seventh at the expense of freshman closer Nick Silva to take its biggest lead of the game.
Patrick Lagravinese blooped a one-out double to left to start the rally and Karson Canaday singled beyond the reach of diving second baseman Caleb Kerbs to score him.
Canaday stole second and Will Miller walked. They worked a double steal and Canaday eventually scored when Tre Todd struck out swinging but the ball went off the glove of catcher Kevin Stypulkowski for a passed ball.
Connor Powers lofted an RBI single into short center field and Matt Hinchey greeted reliever Jonah Normandeau by bouncing an RBI single into right to cap the rally.
But the Black Bears answered in the top of the eighth on a walk to Geary, Kerb’s looping single into right, Della Fera’s base hit, a bases-loaded walk to Pena and Danny Casals bases-clearing double to center.
Albany had built a 4-0 lead with single runs in the first and third innings and two more in the fifth.
Maine scored a pair of runs in the sixth but could have scored more. Pena reached on an infield single and Casals walked. Ridley grounded an RBI single to left but was thrown out trying to scamper into second on the throw and it proved costly.
“He was trying to be aggressive and he made a mistake,” Trimper said. “That what happens when you play a lot of freshmen.”
A wild pitch allowed Casals to score.
The Black Bears loaded the bases later in the inning on two walks and Stypulkowski’s single but sidearmer Terry Dugdale came on to get Kerbs to fly to shallow right field before he struck out Della Fera.
Albany got a run back in the bottom of the inning but Maine struck back with two in the seventh on a walk to Pena, Casals’ double, Ridley’s sacrifice fly and Schwanz’s long double over the left fielder’s head.
Stypulkowski struck out to end the threat.
Canaday had two singles and three RBIs for Albany and Kyle Sacks and Hinchey had two singles and an RBI apiece.
Junior Stephen Woods, the Albany starter, picked up the win with 5 ⅓ innings of five-hit, two-run ball. He struck out seven and walked four. He was one of six Albany pitchers.
Casals had two doubles and three RBIs for Maine. Schwanz doubled and singled and Della Fera had two singles.
Maine starter Chris Murphy, who allowed one hit and one run with four walks and three strikeouts over 1 ⅔ innings, absorbed the loss. He was the first of five Maine pitchers.
Albany pitchers walked 11 and struck out 13 while Maine’s pitchers had 10 walks and 15 strikeouts.