After a stellar outing to clinch the first America East regular season title in Bearcats history at the end of last season, Gio Yannuzzi worked last off-season to repeat those results every time in 2008, his final season with the team.
Sunday, that work paid off in near-historic fashion.
Yannuzzi, a senior left-hander and the Bearcats’ fourth conference starter, came within four outs of throwing the first no-hitter in the Bearcats’ Division I history against the host Vermont Catamounts (21-20-0, 7-9-0 AE). Yannuzzi’s performance and some early offense secured a 9-1 win and a series win for the Binghamton University baseball team (22-23-0, 10-6-0) in the finale of a four-game set in Burlington, Vt.
“That was hands down by far my best personal accomplishment … it was unbelievable,” Yannuzzi said. “I’ve never done it; I’ve thrown a few [no-hitters] in high school, but I’ve never thrown that well for that long in that kind of an atmosphere in that big of a game.”
Yannuzzi’s near no-no gave BU wins in 12 of its last 14 games, including three series wins its last three series against AE opponents. The Bearcats are just one game back of conference-leader Stony Brook (26-19-0, 11-5-0), the only AE opponent the Bearcats have lost a series to this season.
Yannuzzi did not allow a hit until two out in the eighth. Vermont’s Todd Allen, a junior, broke up the no-hit bid as well as the shutout with a double to right-center, which ended Yannuzzi’s day. Vermont’s Matt Duffy scored on the play after reaching base on an error to start the inning.
Before that, Yannuzzi had allowed only a one-out walk in the fourth. But as the game progressed, Yannuzzi thought that he had actually allowed a hit. It wasn’t until the bottom of the seventh — a long, 20-minute frame where he had to keep his arm ready in the bullpen — that Yannuzzi noticed something special about the line score.
“I kept going down to the pen to stay the loose and I glanced up to the scoreboard,” Yannuzzi said. “Just like, you got to be kidding me, this is unbelievable. My main thought was just keep doing what you’re doing, stay within yourself, cause the defense was huge all day.”
BU’s only errors belonged to freshman third baseman Brian Ivan, one fielding and one throwing, on the same play in the seventh that allowed Duffy to reach base.
Yannuzzi struck out six and had a lead from the first inning, when juniors Kyle Klee and Ryan Holley each delivered two-out, run-scoring singles. From there, with all of his pitches working, Yannuzzi was able to cruise.
“I had command of all four pitches,” he said. “At any time in the count I was able to throw a changeup, curveball, slider or fastball for a strike.”
The Bearcats led 5-0 after four innings. Holley, Ivan and freshman Pete Bregartner each had a game-high three hits as the Bearcats knocked around Vermont sophomore starter Tom Kelly for 14 hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Freshman reliever James Giulietti finished the game for Binghamton.
After falling to the Catamounts 6-2 to open the series Friday, the Bearcats guaranteed a series split with Vermont on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep by scores of 3-2 and 6-5.
The Bearcats won Saturday’s opening game on senior Ryan James’ two-out, three-run double in the ninth. Binghamton started the inning down 2-0, but the Bearcats were able to handle Vermont reliever Tom Kelly’s curveball to load the bases.
Then with a 1-0 count and the bases loaded, James knew what to expect.
“Dead red knew a fastball was coming; he didn’t want to fall behind in the count with the bases loaded,” James said. “He threw one maybe a little middle up and I drive the ball best to the left side of the field. Especially for that pitch, I got on the plate even though the pitch was middle out, I turned on it a little bit and I drove the ball over the left fielder’s head towards the line.”
Notes: Gio Yannuzzi’s effort is the closest the Bearcats have come to a no-hitter in DI play. Jeff Montani threw the team’s last no-hitter, against Lehigh in the 2001 season, the team’s last as a D2 team. Bearcats ace Zach Groh set BU’s career strikeout record Friday, K’ing the first batter of the game for No. 267 of his career, breaking the mark held by Jerry Gaube, ‘76. Groh finished with eight strikeouts on the day and allowed two runs in seven innings. Vermont’s Joe Serafin was even better, however, throwing a complete-game four-hitter and striking out 10 to earn the win and this week’s AE Pitcher of the Week Award. “The way he pitched on Friday, he’s probably one of the top two or three arms in the conference,” said BU’s Ryan James.