March 25, 2006
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Yale rallied for three in the sixth inning to turn 4-1 deficit into a 5-4 win, claiming the back end of a non-conference doubleheader against Albany on Saturday afternoon. Justin Ankney (Ft. Myers, Fla.) hit his first home run of the season in the second game.
Albany (5-13) took control early in the first game, scoring three runs in the first inning off Yale (10-7) starter Alec Smith (Turlock, Calif.).
Smith settled down in the second, but Albany tacked on another run in the third.
In the fourth inning the Great Danes took control, scoring five runs. Steve Wyand picked up a two run single and Tom Hill hit a solo shot to highlight the inning.
Ryan Lavarnway (Woodland Hills, Calif.) homered in the sixth and the Elis scored three in the seventh, but it was too late as Albany starter Casey Walsh (1-0) hung on for the complete game victory.
Game two started much like game one did, with Albany drawing first blood. Hill hit his second home run of the day, this time a two run blast, to give the Great Danes a 2-0 first inning lead.
Ankney cut the lead in half with his solo homer in the third, but Albany responded with two more runs in the fourth to go up 4-1.
The Bulldogs took advantage of an inning-opening error in the fifth to cut the lead to 4-2. After John Janco (Cannonsburg, Pa.) reached, he advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Josh Cox (Gainesville, Fla.) sacraficed him over to third, P.J. Gorynski (Queens, N.Y.) drove him home with a sacrafice fly.
Errors and wild pitches would again be the catalyist in the sixth, as the Bulldogs would score three times to take the lead. Eric Rasmussen (Brewster, Mass.) highlighed the inning with a run scoring double.
With the lead in hand the Eli bullpen took control. Adam Barrick (Freeport, N.Y.) pitched a perfect sixth and Brett Rosenthal (Irving, Texas) a perfect seventh to close the door on the 5-4 win. Matt Fealey (Queens, N.Y.) picked up the win (1-0), pitching one and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief and Rosenthal earned his fifth save of the season.
Yale and Albany will meet again for a Sunday afternoon doubleheader. Game one starts at 12:00 p.m.
Report filed by Hank Gargiulo, Yale Sports Publicity