NEWARK, N.Y. (May 14, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team dropped its opening game of the NCAA Division III New York Regional, 4-3, to Amherst College at Colburn Park in Newark, N.Y. on Wednesday. Stevens (26-14) entered the regional as the No. 6 seed, while Amherst (29-9) is the third seed.

The Ducks will play an elimination game tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. against the loser of No. 2 Kean University and No. 7 Union College. The result of that contest will be known later tonight.

Amherst notched two hits in the bottom of the first inning but never moved into scoring position after its first base runner was thrown out attempting to steal.

Sophomore Jayson Yano (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) reached on an error to begin the second inning and then fellow sophomore Nicholas Sieber (Shrewsbury, Mass.) walked to put two runners on and no outs. After a double play allowed Yano to move up to third, junior Gregg Nickels (Simpsonville, S.C.) was robbed of an extra base hit to left to end the threat.

The Lord Jeffs took a 2-0 lead after their at bat in the second on a pair of hits. Amherst's first run scored on a fielder's choice and the second crossed on a rundown.

Stevens knotted the game up with a two-out rally in the top of the third. Junior Marc Calleo (Bayville, N.J.) singled with one out to get things started and then classmate Brian Hennelly (Holbrook, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch to continue the inning with two gone. Senior Dan Allen (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) singled through the left side to score Calleo and then Yano stroked a base hit to center which brought home Hennelly for the equalizer.

Calleo led off the fifth with a laser double off the left field wall and then moved to third on a balk. Sophomore Jonathan Toro (Sanford, Fla.) gave the Ducks their first lead on an RBI groundout and continued the inning on a single from Hennelly and an error for Allen. The frame ended, however, on a double play ball off the bat of Yano.

Amherst regained the lead, 4-3, on a two-run double by Yanni Thanopoulos with two outs in the fifth. The Lord Jeffs put together their own two-out rally on a single, walk and a pair of stolen bases to moves both runners into scoring position before the extra base hit cleared the bases.

The Ducks threatened again in the top of the eighth but could not produce a run. Allen reached on a fielder's choice and Yano followed with a single. They pulled off a double steal with one out but the next two batters were unable to bring either runner in and Stevens remained down by a run, 4-3.

Junior Gary Boardman (Staten Island, N.Y.) ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth but worked out of a one-out bases loaded jam to keep Stevens within a one-run deficit. Amherst drew a hit by pitch with one out and then singled in back-to-back at bats to fill the bases. A diving catch in short center field by Yano kept a run off the board and the ensuing batter rolled over a groundball to end the inning.

Boardman threw three innings in relief and gave up three hits with a strikeout. Sophomore Greg Jakusik (The Woodlands, Texas) took the loss in five innings of work with four earned runs on seven hits and three walks. Jakusik fanned one batter in the outing.

The Ducks got to Amherst starter Quinn Saunders-Kolberg for five hits and three runs before he exited. After the pitching change, Stevens only scratched out one hit and struck out five times.