AUBURNDALE, FL – The Utica College baseball team fell to Calvin College 9-1 and 8-2 on Monday afternoon. The team is now 0-2 to start the season as the Russ Matt Invitational continues on Tuesday. The Pioneers had 11 hits over the course of both games, posting six hits in the first game and five hits in the second.
 
Game 1-Calvin 9, Utica 1:
 
Utica College took an early 1-0 lead in the third inning when Kolbie Glionna (Hagaman, NY/Amsterdam) crossed the plate. After that it was all Calvin College as the Knights responded with three runs in the third. Nick Steiginga tripled to score Mike Kempton, then Steven Seager singled home Steiginga before Colton Wolfe scored on an error. The Knights would tally three runs in the fifth inning and three runs in the sixth inning while shutting out Utica the rest of the way.
 
Joshua Webb (Verona, NY/VVS) (0-1) started for the Pioneers and pitched five innings striking out six and walking five. James Corcoran (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) came in, in relief and pitched one inning. Jimmy Dirksen of Calvin College got the win, his first of the season pitching 4.2 innings and striking out three.
 
The Pioneers had six hits by six different players on the day. Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston), Adam Pexton (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills), Brandon Thomas (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham), Kolbie Glionna (Hagaman, NY/Amsterdam) and Andrew Hobika, Jr. (Clinton, NY/Clinton) all had hits on the day. Hobika Jr. was the only player to get an extra base hit getting a double.
 
Game 2- Calvin 8, Utica 2:
 
The Calvin College Knights started the game scoring two runs off of a Colton Wolfe triple in the first inning. Steven Seager and Matt Kotva crossed the plate for the Knights. In the fourth inning the Pioneers took advantage of some fielding errors by Calvin College as JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) scored on an error by the third baseman and Matthew DeMartino (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside) scored when off of a single by Bryce Patterson (Corning, NY/Corning East) to make it 2-2. The Knights struck back in the fifth when Wolfe blasted a three-run home run to make it 5-2. Calvin College would add one run in the sixth and two runs in the seventh inning to secure the victory.
 
Vincent Burillo (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central ) (0-1) got the start for the Pionners pitching six innings and striking out three. Jarred Luczak (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) come in, in relief and pitched one inning. Jonathan Keane (1-0) got the start for Calvin College going five innings and striking out seven.
 
Utica had five hits by five different players on the day. Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston), JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills), Brandon Thomas (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham), Bryce Patterson (Corning, NY/Corning East), and Todd Gardner (Hudson, NY/Hudson) all had hits on the day. Gardner was the only player to get an extra base hit getting a double on the day.