Box Score
Utica, NY (5-4-13) – The Utica College baseball team downed John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 8-4, Saturday afternoon on Senior Day in its final home contest of season at the Utica College Baseball Field. Senior
Nick Dunbar (Granville, NY/Granville) and junior
Rob Heath (Central Square, NY/Paul V. Moore) led UC as the pair combined on 5-of-9 from the plate with two RBI and one run apiece while sophomore
Vincent Burillo (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central ) recorded his first win on the mound. Senior
Chris Podlucky (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) set a new school-record as he utilized every position on the diamond throughout the contest.
The Pioneers now hold an overall record of 6-24 and hit the road for its final two doubleheaders. UC travels to Empire 8 rival St. John Fisher College Sunday (12 p.m.) for a pair against the Cardinals at Dugan Yard before heading to Oswego State on Tuesday (3 p.m.) for the season finale. John Jay wraps up its record season with an overall record of 8-28 on the season and 4-8 in the CUNY Conference.
After three quiet innings of play, Utica got on the board first as it used a walk and back-to-back hits to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore catcher
Thomas Dinnen (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas ) worked a leadoff walk before senior
Nick Dunbar (Granville, NY/Granville) peppered the leftfield wall for a double, advancing Dinnen to third with no outs. Senior utility
Chris Podlucky (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) followed with a bullet down the right field line for a two-RBI single.
The Bloodhounds quickly responded with two runs of their own, also on two hits, and the help of a Utica error to knot the contest up, 2-2, in the top of the fifth. John Jay's first batter reached base on an error then advanced to second on a passed ball and eventually scored off a base knock to right field. The visitors managed a first-and-third double steal for their second run of the inning.
UC regained the lead, 3-2, in its next at bat with one run on a walk, base hit and sacrifice fly. Senior
Tyler Young (Latham, NY/Hudson Valley) walked followed by an
Adam Pexton (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) rope to left center. Both runners then advanced on a wild pitch before Young crossed the dish for the go-ahead score off a sac fly from junior
Alec Choleva (Coventry, CT/East Catholic) to left field.
The Pioneers put together a four-run, seventh inning rally to cushion a five-run lead, 7-2, headed into the final two frames. UC worked four walks along with two hits in the rally. Junior
Rob Heath (Central Square, NY/Paul V. Moore) and Dunbar tallied two-run hits to pace the inning.
Each squad scattered one run in the eighth while the visiting Bloodhounds added another in the final inning before UC closed out the victory snapping a two-game slide.
Dunbar went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored to lead the way while Dinnen and senior
Angel Zapata (Bronx, NY/Bronx Center for Science and Math) walked and scored twice. Heath tallied two hits, two RBI, one run and one stolen base on the afternoon. Freshman
Matt Rogers (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Schuyler) recorded his first collegiate RBI on a pinch hit sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to cushion the victory.
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