STORY COURTESY OF CUNYAC SPORTS INFORMATION
In the 2014 CUNYAC/MCU Baseball Championship, it was the #2 Stevens Ducks pitted against the #3 Baruch Bearcats for the title and CUNYAC's first NCAA Automatic Bid into the NCAA Tournament. In the end, the Ducks came out victorious, winning the Championship game by a final score of 5-3.
"We give credit to Baruch for a great season. Ultimately, this was our goal from the first day of practice and our guys worked hard for it. It's a great feeling," said Stevens head coach Kristaps Aldins.
The Ducks and Bearcats met in Game 2 of the double-elimination tournament with Stevens winning the contest 6-2. In the game, Stevens' Dan Allen hit a homerun and racked up 3 RBIs to complement Greg Jakusik's 6.2 innings and 11 strikeouts.
In Saturday's matchup, both teams threatened in the first inning but the game remained scoreless. With two outs in the top of the second inning, Baruch's John Yuksekolcrushed a solo home run over the left field wall to open the day's scoring and give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third, the Ducks' bats came alive. With two men on, following a walk and an error, Jayson Yano ripped an RBI double just over Baruch left fielder Keith Ezersky's head. Ducks' third baseman Nick Sieber followed that up with a 2 RBI double. After a walk and a double steal, Tyler Bush grounded one into the hole between shortstop and third. Baruch third baseman Philip Loprete couldn't make the diving play and the RBI single gave the Ducks a 4-1 lead. All of the scoring took place with two outs, and all four runs were unearned.
Baruch threatened to cut their deficit in the next half inning following a single and double, but an impressive catch and outfield assist by Stevens' Brian Hennelly kept the Bearcats off the board.
Stevens capitalized in the bottom of the fifth when Nick Sieber scored on an accidental wild pitch. While attempting to intentionally walk Tyler Bush, the ball got away and Sieber was able to trot home. Dan Daleycame on in relief shortly thereafter and induced an inning ending 5-4-3 double play.
A rare error by the Ducks led to a run scoring play for Baruch in the top of the seventh inning. Sieber ranged to his left to field a grounder, but his throw sailed over the first baseman's head and allowed Philip Lopreteto score from second base. The run cut the Ducks lead to 5-2.
Baruch continued to chip away at Stevens Tech's lead in the top of the 8th as Keith Ezerskylaunched a solo shot to left field. The home run made the score 5-3.
The Stevens Tech bats went down quietly in the bottom of the eighth, failing to pad their lead going into the ninth. With 3 outs remaining between the Ducks and the title, pitcher Dan Allen came into the game looking to sit the Bearcats down quickly. He beared down and did just that, striking the first batter out on three pitches. A pair of weak ground balls to the left side of the infield followed, giving the Ducks the 5-3 victory and the CUNYAC/MCU Baseball Championship.
Matt Buccheri started for the Ducks and turned in 6.1 stellar innings, giving up only one run and five hits on the day. Nick Sieber was named Tournament MVP, going 2 for 3 with two runs scored, two runs batted in and three stolen bases in the Championship game. Following the game, Sieber dedicated his performance to his grandmother, who passed away just two days prior.
The automatic NCAA berth gives Stevens their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002.