Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Port Charlotte, Fla. – The Utica College baseball team lost a pair of games against Mount St. Joseph on opening day at the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. on Monday. The Pioneers lost game one 10-2, before falling in the nightcap, 6-3.  Junior first baseman Nick Dunbar (Granville, NY/Granville) continued his consistent hitting at the plate as he went 2-for-6 with two RBI's over the course of both games for Utica (0-4).  Freshman Dylan Leggett (Milton, VT/Milton High School) broke out with a 2-for-5 day, driving in one run and adding a walk, while classmate Benjamin Hobaica (Clinton, NY/Clinton) went 2-for-6 at the plate and scored one run. 

Junior transfer Sean McNeil (Riverside, NJ/) made his Utica College debut and struck out four over the course of 5.2 innings in game two.  He was able to hold the Lions to just three runs, as the score was tied at 3-3 headed into the bottom of the sixth, until The Mount (4-4) tacked on three runs to pull away. 

Game One: College of Mount St. Joseph 10, Utica 2 - Box Score

The Lions compiled eight runs between the second, third and fourth innings to take an early 8-0 lead over the Pioneers in game one.  UC loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning after a single from Dunbar and consecutive walks from Alec Choleva (Coventry, CT/East Catholic) and Dan Bittel (New Hartford, CT/Northwestern Region).  Unfortunately, Rob Heath (Central Square, NY/Paul V. Moore) grounded into a double play, but Dunbar scored, and the Pioneers trailed 8-1 headed into the fifth inning.  Choleva opened up the bottom of the sixth inning with a triple, and he eventually scored to cut the UC deficit to 9-2. 

The Mount added a run in the top of the seventh to earn an eight run advantage.  The Lions recorded 14 hits compared to the Pioneers' six.  Senior Matt Zitt (Latrobe, PA/Greater Latrobe) pitched four full innings, striking out one, while sophomore Donato Traditi (Lagrangeville, NY/Arlington) came on in relief and allowed just one earned run on three hits in three complete innings of work. 

Leggett went 2-for-2 in game one as a the Pioneers' designated hitter, while transfer Tyler Young (Latham, NY/Hudson Valley) went 1-for-4. 

Game Two: College of Mount St. Joseph 6, Utica 3 - Box Score

The Pioneers fell in a 2-0 hole in the bottom of the first inning of game two, but they were able to crawl right back out in the top of the second as they knotted the score at 2-2.  Two consecutive singles by Choleva and junior Chris Podlucky (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) to open up the second inning, led to two runs for the Pioneers.  Choleva scored on a balk before Podlucky crossed home plate after a sacrifice RBI from Leggett. 

The Lions got right back on top in the bottom half of the second and the Pioneers were able to answer once again in the top of the third.  Hobaica doubled down the left field line and he was eventually drove in by Dunbar, to knot the score at 3-3 in the top of the third. 

A strong pitching performance from McNeil helped keep the Pioneers in the game until the bottom of the sixth inning when the Lions rallied with four straight hits (all with two outs) to take a 6-3 lead that they would not relinquish. 

The Pioneers return to action on Tuesday morning when they take on Ohio Wesleyan in a double-header that begins at 10 a.m.

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