Trey Bell's Infield Single Lifts Baseball to Doubleheader Split at Sacred Heart

(Game 1 boxscore) / (Game 2 boxscore)

5/7/05 -- Junior Trey Bell (Georgetown, Del.) dribbled an infield single to score sophomore Marcus Wynn (Plainfield, N.J.), capping a three-run seventh-inning rally for Long Island in a 4-3 Northeast Conference triumph over Sacred Heart before an 8-2 loss at Harbor Yard.

Trailing 3-1 entering the top of the seventh, LIU (12-21, 8-12 NEC) again struck for some late-inning magic a second straight week. Junior Sean Durkin (Damascus, Md.) drew a leadoff walk, reached second on a single by freshman Danny Etkin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and took third when Wynn’s sacrifice bunt was booted by third baseman Pete Kandybowicz. After freshman Bryan Burke (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) struck out, sophomore Robert Rowen (Rosendale, N.Y.) grounded out to plate Durkin for a one-run game.

Freshman pinch-runner Daniel Pirillo (Marlboro, N.Y.) scored on a wild pitch by Mike Milazzo (1-6), who came in earlier in the inning for starter Chris Aldrich to face Wynn, for a 3-3 tie. George Lamar then took the mound for Sacred Heart (17-27, 14-6) and was greeted by Bell’s single -- his 12th RBI of the year -- in front of shortstop Ryan Nemcek.

Bell also provided the heroics last Saturday, when LIU rallied three times for a heartstopping 8-7, 11-inning victory over Central Connecticut State as he slid head first with the winning run on Durkin’s infield single.

Carmel, N.Y. sophomore Richard Moran (4-1) got David Kaloyanides to ground out and Nemcek to fly out in the bottom of the seventh. Moran walked Kandybowicz and was lifted for senior Chris Brescia (Nanuet, N.Y.), who notched his second save of the season by getting Curtis Lewsey to pop out to Bell at second.

The Blackbirds in the sixth closed to 2-1 on Brescia’s RBI single to center, scoring Rowen. The Pioneers restored their two-run cushion in the bottom of the frame when Dan Garcia’s single was misplayed by Wynn in left field.

Moran allowed three runs -- one earned -- and just three hits over 6 2/3 innings with three strikeouts and leads LIU in victories. Aldrich gave up three runs -- one earned -- and five hits over six innings in the no-decision.

Bell in game two scored on a balk by Jay Monti (7-3) in the second for a 1-0 lead. The lead grew to 2-0 in the third as junior Tim Doherty (Newark, Del.) crossed home when Rowen’s grounder was misplayed by Kandybowicz.

The Pioneers scored one run in the third and plated five in the fourth for a 6-2 lead. Nemcek laced a two-out, two-run single and Kandybowicz followed with an RBI double to highlight the inning.

Staten Island, N.Y. sophomore Michael Maynard (2-5) surrendered six runs and eight hits over four innings with four strikeouts for the Blackbirds. Bell rapped two hits for the second straight game and junior Matthew Martino (Staten Island, N.Y.) also had two hits in game two.

Monti struck out five and yielded two runs -- one earned -- and six hits over seven innings. Kaloyanides closed with three hits.

The teams will play the rubber game of this three-game series Sunday in Waterbury, Conn., beginning at 12:00 pm.