Sophomore captain Alec Choleva pitched a complete game and hit a home run to lift UC to a game one victory
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Utica 5, Stevens 3 -
Game One Box Score
Stevens 17, Utica 6 -
Game Two Box Score
Hoboken, N.J. – The Utica College baseball team split a pair of games at Empire 8 Conference foe Stevens Institute of
Technology on Saturday. Sunday's single game has been postponed due to a likely chance of thunderstorms in the Hoboken, N.J. area. The Pioneers won game one 5-3, behind an outstanding all-around performance from
Alec Choleva (Coventry, CT/East Catholic). The Ducks answered back in game two and earned a 17-6 victory. Choleva went 2-for-6 with two RBIs, two runs scored and one home run at the plate for UC, and he also pitched a complete game, allowing seven hits and striking out two, to earn the victory on the mound for the Pioneers in game one.
Junior slugger
Nick Dunbar (Granville, NY/Granville) went 2-for-7 with three RBIs, three runs scored and one home run over the course of two games for UC, while senior
Ted Krueger (Franklinville, NY/Franklinville) went 2-for-4. Senior
Dan Bittel (New Hartford, CT/Northwestern Region) went 2-for-6 with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored for Utica.
Game One – Utica 5, Stevens 3 – Final
Choleva was the star of game one as he kicked the contest off with a bang when he roped a two run home run in the top of the first inning, scoring Dunbar, to give the Pioneers an early 2-0 lead. Stevens answered with two runs over the course of the first three innings to tie the score at 2-2 after three full innings of play.
The score was knotted at 2-2 headed into the top of the fifth inning when the Pioneers made their push to earn the game one victory. Dunbar doubled home
Benjamin Hobaica (Clinton, NY/Clinton) to start UC's game-winning rally. Junior shortstop
Chris Podlucky (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) stepped up to the plate and singled, scoring Dunbar and
Tyler Young (Latham, NY/Hudson Valley), to give the Pioneers a comfortable 5-2 lead.
The Ducks added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, but Choleva was able to hold the home team hitless in six straight at-bats in the final two innings to help Utica improve its record to 6-21 overall and 2-7 in conference play.
Game Two – Stevens 17, Utica 6 – Game Two Final
Stevens moved its overall record to 19-13 (5-6 Empire 8) after a convincing 17-6 win over the Pioneers in game two. The Ducks scored all 17 runs on 17 hits.
Utica fell into an early 3-0 hole in two full innings of play before answering with two runs in the top of the fourth inning to cut its deficit to one run, 3-2. Dunbar belted a two-run home run, scoring
Tyler Young (Latham, NY/Hudson Valley), to lift UC right back into the contest.
Unfortunately for Utica, the home team scored 14 runs in the next five innings to seal the conference victory.
Seven different Pioneers registered one hit in game two and they were led by two RBIs from the bat of Dunbar. UC was able to muster four runs in the top of the ninth inning but it proved to be too late as the Ducks earned the 11 run victory. Bittel had an RBI double in the ninth, scoring freshman
Nick Perkins (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady), while
Rob Heath (Central Square, NY/Paul V. Moore) added an RBI single of his own.
Dylan Leggett (Milton, VT/Milton High School) also added an RBI double for the Pioneers in their last at-bat.
Seven different pitchers stepped on the mound for the Pioneers.
UC returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Clarkson University for a non-conference contest at 2 p.m.
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