Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Ithaca 12, Utica 6 Game One Box Score

Ithaca 12, Utica 6 Game Two Box Score

Utica, NY (4-14-12) – The Utica College baseball team was swept, by scores of 12-6, Saturday afternoon against nationally-ranked No. 19 Ithaca College at the UC Baseball Field.  Junior designated hitter Angel Zapata (Bronx, NY/Bronx Center for Science and Math) went 3-for-6 on the day, driving in five runs for the Pioneers.

Utica fell to 4-19 overall and 1-6 in the Empire 8, while IC moves to 17-4-1 on the season, including an impressive 7-1 mark in the E8.  The teams return to the Utica College Baseball Field Sunday for game three of the weekend set.  First-pitch has been changed to 12 p.m.

Game One

Utica had a 4-2 lead headed into the fourth inning, however six errors would prove costly as the visiting Bombers went on to outscore UC 10-2 to close out game one.

The Pioneers used a three-run second inning to take an early 3-1 lead as they converted two stolen bases and four hits.  Both team scored one run, each in the third, before IC opened up a five run, fifth inning rally and led 7-4. UC answered with two runs in the bottom half of the fourth as sophomore Alec Choleva (Coventry, CT/East Catholic) and Zapata ripped RBI singles to pull Utica within one score, 7-6. 

Ithaca went on to score five more runs while pitcher Pat Lemmo retired 9-of-11 Pioneers to close out game one with the score set at 12-6.

Choleva and freshman Vincent Burillo (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central ) totaled four hits, three RBI and three runs scored, while senior catcher Dan Bittel (New Hartford, CT/Northwestern Region) added one hit and two runs scored for UC.

Freshman pitcher Stephen Szatko (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit Valley) fell to 0-4 on the year as he went 5.0 innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits, four walks and four hit batters.  Senior Matt Zitt (Latrobe, PA/Greater Latrobe) relieved Szatko and allowed three earned runs on two hits in two innings of relief.

Ithaca's Lemmo improved to 7-0 on the hill, as he endured his third complete game, allowing six runs on 10 hits, while fanning seven Pioneers.

Game Two

After a quiet first inning, Ithaca scored two runs on three hits and a UC error to jump out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning.  Utica got on the board after a two out single from Zapata scored junior Chris Podlucky (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) to cut the lead to one, 2-1.

The Bombers continued with seven runs over the next two innings, on seven hits and two Utica errors, as they pushed to a 9-1 cushion. Junior Nick Dunbar (Granville, NY/Granville) homered in the sixth, while senior John Grogan (Albany, NY/Albany) and Zapata each added an RBI as the Pioneers pulled within four of the lead, 9-5. However, the nationally-ranked No. 23 Bombers retaliated with three more runs in the seventh en route to closing out the afternoon sweep.

Freshman Nick Perkins (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) added one hit and one run scored while classmates Thomas Dinnen (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas ) and Dylan Leggett (Milton, VT/Milton High School) came through with pinch hit singles in the bottom of the ninth. Dinnen scored on Leggett's base hit to left field in the last inning.

Freshman pitcher Sean McNeil (Riverside, NJ/) started on the hill, however was relieved by sophomore Chris Jeffers (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn) in the third inning after giving up seven earned runs on seven hits, one walk and one hit batter. Jeffers and freshman James Richards (Rome, NY/Holland Patent) got UC to the eighth, but they gave up a combined 11 hits and four earned runs.

Ithaca's John Prendergast recorded the game two victory, as he moved his overall record to 6-0 after seven innings of work, while allowing five earned runs on eight hits.