Utica, NY – The Utica College baseball team earned its fifth and sixth straight victories on Wednesday as the Pioneers swept visiting SUNY Canton in Empire 8 Conference action. The Pioneers won game one 11-6 and topped the Roos in game two 7-4.

UC has now won five straight Empire 8 Conference games and improved to 11-9 overall and 5-2 in conference play.  UC's 11 wins eclipse last year's season win total of nine.

Utica's Tom Carrigan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) went 6-for-9 at the plate with three runs scored and three RBIs on the afternoon, while sophomore Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) went 4-for-7 with three runs scored and five RBIs. Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston) posted a 5-for-7 day with four RBIs and two runs scored for the Pioneers.

UC returns to action on Friday when it travels to St. John Fisher College for Empire 8 Conference play starting at 3 p.m.
 
Utica 11, Canton 6 – Game One
The Pioneers put together an impressive six run fourth inning to catapult them ahead as they eventually went on to defeat the visiting Roos by five runs, 11-6, in game one.
 
Freshman pitcher Justin Bodley-Bjorklund (Washington, DC/St. Johns) earned his first collegiate win as a starting pitcher. He threw six full innings, allowing just three earned runs. Bodley-Bjorklund's record this season improved to 1-1.
 
In the fourth inning, the Pioneers blew the game wide open with six runs. JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills), Carrigan, Quinlan, and Ryan all earned RBI's in the inning as the score read 10-2 going into the top of the fifth. Ross hit a double scoring Ryan Palmer (Vernon, NY/VVS) and advancing Christian Tiffin (Sherrill, NY/VVS) to third base. Up next was Quinlan who tripled to right field, securing two RBI's.
 
SUNY Canton was able to score four more runs over the next two innings of the game, but could not do enough to close the gap. Carrigan went 3-for-4 with three RBI's and scored two runs in the contest. Quinlan also had a strong outing, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBI's and also scored two runs in game one.

Dom Caccioppoli (Circleville, NY/Pine Bush ) came one in relief and closed the door for the Pioneers as he pitched one inning and did not allow a hit. 

Utica 7, Canton 4 – Game Two
UC jumped out to a 5-1 lead after one full inning in game two and never looked back as the Pioneers topped Canton 7-4 in the nightcap. Utica's Noah Martin (Broadalbin, NY/Broadalbin-Perth) picked up his first collegiate win as he pitched 5.1 innings, allowed just three earned runs and struck out one.

Ryan Palmer (Vernon, NY/VVS) went 2-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI, while Tom Carrigan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) went 3-for-5 at the plate.  Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) finished game two going 1-for-3 with two RBIs, while Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

Ross got things going in the bottom of the first for Utica as he drove in Palmer to knot the score at 1-1.  Quinlan and Ryan then each recorded two-RBI hits to put the Pioneers on top 5-1.
 
Matthew Yozzo (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) added an RBI double to give Utica a 6-2 lead in the fourth. 

Canton threatened with two runs in the sixth to make it 6-4, but the Pioneers answered with another run in the bottom of the eighth to secure the three run victory.

Utica's Mark Spina (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Schuyler) came on in relief and pitched 3.2 innings for the Pioneers and did not allow an earned run to pick up his first collegiate save.