UTICA, NY – The Utica College baseball team heads to Elmira College this weekend for a three-game set in Empire 8 play … Friday will be one nine-inning game set to start at 3:30 p.m. followed by a Saturday doubleheader with game one scheduled for 12 p.m.
ELMIRA CALLS "DUNN FIELD" HOME: The games will be played at the legendary Dunn Field, one of the oldest stadiums in college baseball … The 4,020 capacity stadium has dimensions of 325 feet down the right and left field lines and 386 feet to straightaway center field … Several baseball greats called Dunn Field home including Hall of Famers Earl Weaver and Wade Boggs, legendary manager Lou Piniella, current Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson, current Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Don Zimmer, and two-time World Series Champion, Curt Schilling.
Follow the link for
DIRECTIONS to Dunn Field…
SOCIAL MEDIA: Can't Make it to the Game? Follow the Pioneers on Twitter: @uticabaseball1
PIONEERS TAKE TWO OF THREE AT STEVENS IN E8 PLAYUtica opened up Empire 8 Conference play this past weekend against Stevens Institute of Technology and took the first two games … UC downed the Ducks on Friday, 4-2, before taking game one on Saturday, 3-2 … Stevens used a walk-off hit in the bottom of the tenth to earn the day two split.
Two outstanding pitching performances guided UC to victory after
Stephen Szatko (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit Valley) tossed a complete game, nine-inning gem on Friday while striking out six followed by
Joshua Webb (Verona, NY/VVS)'s complete game, seven inning outing in game one on Saturday in which he fanned seven … Both allowed just two runs scored as the duo sits atop the Empire 8 standings in pitching … In the conference, Szatko is first in opposing batting aveage (.145) while third in ERA (0.96) ... Webb is second in strikeouts (27) and fifth in ERA (1.71).
The Utica offense was led by freshman
Brandon Thomas (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markam) who went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Friday's win ... On Saturday, freshman
Bryce Patterson (Corning, NY/Corning East) and junior
Matthew DeMartino (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside) led the way combining for three of the Pioneers five hits, and two runs scored … DeMartino cracked his first homerun of the season in the fourth to give Utica a 3-2 lead before Patterson scored off an
Adam Pexton (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) double for the eventual game-winner … Senior
Benjamin Hobaica (Clinton, NY/Clinton) tallied three runs scored in the victories.
SZATKO NAMED E8 PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Senior pitcher
Stephen Szatko (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit Valley) was named Empire 8 Pitcher of the Week Monday after his outstanding performance on the mound Saturday … Szatko tossed his second complete game of the season as UC opened up conference play with a 4-2 win at Stevens Institute of Technology … The senior hurler allowed just two runs and two walks while striking out six en route to his third victory of the season … On the season, he has a 0.96 earned run average in 18.2 innings of work and opposing batters are hitting just .145 against him.
EMPIRE 8 STANDINGS: Utica currently sits atop the conference with a .727 win percentage holding an 8-3 overall record including a 2-1 mark in the league … Houghton is second with a 10-7 mark on the season followed by Stevens in third with an overall ledger of 8-9 …St. John Fisher occupies fourth place as it holds a 6-10 record while Ithaca (2-7) and Elmira (0-4) round out the league standings.
REMAIN ON THE ROAD: Following this weekend at Elmira, UC remains on the road Tuesday, April 7
th as it journeys across town to face local non-conference rival Hamilton College in the 28
th Annual Jackie Robinson Game … The nine-inning contest is set to start at 4 p.m. at Royce Field … Utica downed Hamilton last season 3-1 at the UC Field.
