UTICA, NY – The Utica College baseball team fell 19-9 against cross-town rival Hamilton in the 29^th annual Jackie Robinson game on Monday. Junior Dom Caccioppoli (Circleville, NY/Pine Bush ) received the game MVP honors for Utica after pitching 2.1 innings giving up only two hits and striking out two while not allowing a single run. Starting pitcher Cole Dreyfuss received MVP honors for Hamilton after pitching 5.1 innings allowing six runs (two earned) and striking out five.

The Pioneers record moved to 8-23-1 overall on the year headed into the Empire 8 Conference Tournament.  UC earned the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament by way of winning the regular season series tiebreaker over SUNY Canton.  Utica and Canton both finished the regular season with six conference victories, but the Pioneers took the regular season series, 2-1, over the Roos to earn the fourth and final seed in the tournament.  It came down to the last day of conference play and Canton lost to Elmira to help lift the Pioneers into the tournament. Utica will travel to top seeded and host St. John Fisher College on Thursday and will square off against the Cardinals at 11 a.m.
 
Ed Zakrzewski (Rome, NY/Rome Catholic) got the start for Utica and pitched 1.2 innings while Ethan Bliss (Cooperstown, NY /Cooperstown) (2.1 innings and only one hit allowed), Alex Rocci (Utica, NY/Notre Dame) (1.2 innings), Caccioppoli, and Gavin McCann (Highland, NY/Highland) (one inning) pitched in relief. Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston), JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills), Matthew DeMartino (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside), Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck), Louis Mongilia (New Hampton, NY/Goshen), and Adam Pexton (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) all had an RBI on the day.

Utica's Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston) finished the day going 2-for-5 with one RBI and one runs scored, while Quinlan capped another impressive day at the plate going 2-for-3 with one RBI, one run scored and a home run. Reigning Jackie Robinson game MVP Brandon Thomas (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) went 3-for-4 on the day with one run scored.
 
Freshman Louis Mongilia (New Hampton, NY/Goshen) posted a career-high two hits for the Pioneers, while senior second baseman Adam Pexton (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) added a 2-for-3 day with one RBI and one run scored.

Spencer Vogelbach pitched 3.2 innings in relief for the Continentals allowing seven hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out five. Ryan Wolfsberg led Hamilton's offense going 3-for-6 with four RBIs and four runs scored.
 
Hamilton started the scoring in the first inning taking a quick 3-0 lead that was expanded to 8-0 after the top of the second inning. Utica would get on the board in the home half of the second when Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) hit a homerun over the left center wall. Utica would cut the deficit to 8-2 when JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) hit a sacrifice fly to score Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston). The Continentals would respond with a four run fifth to make it 12-2. Utica scored four runs in the home half of the fifth to cut the lead back down to six runs. Hamilton would retaliate with a three run sixth inning to make the lead 15-6. The Pioneers rallied in the eighth inning when Louis Mongilia (New Hampton, NY/Goshen) hit home Brandon Thomas (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham), Adam Pexton (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) knocked in Todd Gardner (Hudson, NY/Hudson), and Ryan hit in Mongilia to make it a 15-9 ball game. Hamilton added four insurance runs in the top of the ninth to secure the 19-9 victory.