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In any level of baseball, the complete game has become a lost art. On Friday night, that art was back on display as UAlbany RHP Dylan Banner threw his first complete game of the season against the UMass Lowell River Hawks. Banner was in complete control from start to finish, throwing 111 pitches, 75 of them for strikes. His offense would supply him with the only runs he would need with a 3-run first inning, and the Great Danes (14-27, 4-12) get a very big first win of the series over UMass Lowell (17-27, 8-11), 6-1 at LeLacheur Park.
Alfred Mucciarone (1-5) was the River Hawks starter given the assignment of trying to match zeroes with Banner (5-4). His performance got off to a shaky start in the very first inning. After getting the first two out of the ballgame, the next four hitters all reached base. It started with Luke Fillppi’s single to right. The next man, Levi MxAllister, took a walk. Kyle Stevens (3-for-5, 2 RS, 3 RBI) tripled to dead center field, scoring both Filippi and McAllister, 2-0 UAlbany. It became 3-0 Great Danes on an infield single by Jared Toby to the SS hole that scored Stevens.
UMass Lowell got one of those runs back in the second inning when Brandon Fish led off with a double to left field. He advanced to third on a single to right field by Rowan Masse, then scored the only run of the game by UML on a base hit to left by Scott Donahue. 3-1 Great Danes after two innings.
From there, it was all Banner. Over the final seven innings, he allowed only two baserunners, both by way of walks. He retired 21 of the last 23 River Hawks hitters he faced spotting his fastball brilliantly. River Hawks head coach Nick Barese thought his lineup “Was passive.” Banner’s ability to pound the strike zone with fastballs for strikes was the difference in the game.
UAlbany did push across three more runs in the seventh inning, but by then, the game had been settled. This was Dylan Banner’s night and the River Hawks could do nothing about it. Mucciarone allowed all six runs on twelve hits, he walked one and struck out six in seven innings. Andres Hulfachor took over for the final two innings out of the UML bullpen and allowed just one hit with two strikeouts.
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