Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Houghton, NY (April 19, 2014) – The Utica College baseball team lost a pair of tight games to host Houghton College on Saturday afternoon.  The Pioneers dropped game one 2-0 before falling in game two 1-0.  In eight meetings all-time between the two programs in the last two seasons, five of the contests have been decided by just one run, including a 5-4 victory for the Pioneers on Friday night. 

UC defeated Houghton twice on Friday night and the Pioneers' record is now 6-14 overall.   Houghton's record moved to 8-12 on the season.

Utica third baseman Adam Pexton (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) went a team-best 3-for-9 on the day and he currently ranks third on the team with 21 hits this season. Matthew DeMartino (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside) and Vincent Burillo (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central ) each recorded two hits for UC on the afternoon.

Houghton 2, Utica 0 – Game One Final

Utica senior pitcher Chris Jeffers (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn) threw a complete game in the opener, striking out seven, but the two runs he gave up in the bottom of the second inning proved to be enough as Houghton's Edward Monthie scattered five hits for the shutout victory.

Pexton, Burillo, DeMartino, Rob Heath (Central Square, NY/Paul V. Moore) and Alec Choleva (Coventry, CT/East Catholic) each recorded a hit in game one but the Pioneers stranded seven runners on base in the loss.

Christopher McKay drove in two runs in the bottom of the second inning and Monthie held UC scoreless for the final five innings as Houghton avenged Friday's losses.  

Houghton 1, Utica 0 – Game Two Final

Utica pitcher Stephen Szatko (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit Valley) gave up just one run in 6.2 innings of work in game two, striking out four, but the run he gave up in the bottom of the sixth pushed the Highlanders to the one run victory.  UC registered six hits in game two but the Pioneers left ten runners on base over the course of the nine inning contest as they dropped the 1-0 decision.

Pexton led the way with two hits in game two for Utica.  Burillo, Cam Andrews (Bangor, PA/Bangor), Thomas Dinnen (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas ) and DeMartino each recorded one hit for UC. Burillo came on in relief of Szatko and threw 1.1 innings of scoreless ball for the Pioneers. 

Garret Kirkpatrick tallied the lone RBI of game two on a fielder's choice in the sixth inning for the Highlanders.

Cam Andrews (Bangor, PA/Bangor) has nine hits in 24 at-bats this season and he leads UC with a .375 batting average.  Dinnen is not far behind with a .343 average, good for second on the team.  Jeffers has now pitched a team-best 28.2 innings on the mound for Utica this year. 

The Pioneers return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Clarkson University for a doubleheader that begins at 2 p.m.