Aurora, NY - The Utica College baseball team faced Wells College for a double header on the road Sunday. Wells took game one of the day, 8-2, while the Pioneers won the second game, 6-4. UC's record now stands at 6-9 overall so far this season.

Game 1:

In the first game of the double header Wells came away with a six-run victory. Utica struggled at the plate as the team only registered two hits in the contest. JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) and Adam Nell ( Vernon, NY/VVS) both went 1-for-3 in the game. Griffin Baur (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) started on the mound for the team, as he surrendered six runs in four innings pitched while striking out one batter. With the loss, Baur's record this season drops to 2-1. Dom Caccioppoli (Circleville, NY/Pine Bush ) pitched two innings in relief, allowing two runs on three hits. 

Wells College's Brandon Shirley finished 3-for-4 with one RBI and three scored runs to lead his team. The team's catcher, Dylan Nolan, batted 2-for-3 in the game with three RBI's including a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Zach Kemp earned the win on the mound for Wells, pitching six innings, striking out seven batters and allowing just two runs. Garrett Gagnon came into the game to pitch one inning in relief, recording one strikeout.

Game 2:

The Pioneers put together a stronger performance in the second game, winning by two runs. Ben Julian (Wynantskill, NY/Troy) scored three runs in the contest, as he went 2-for-3 at the plate with one triple. Mark Spina (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Schuyler) recorded one hit in the game, a triple, which earned him two RBI's. Ryan Palmer (Vernon, NY/VVS) and Zachary Schellenger (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) both went 1-for-2 with one RBI and scored one run to help the cause. Alex Rocci (Utica, NY/Notre Dame) earned the win as he started on the mound for the Pioneers. Rocci gave up four runs in five innings, striking out five batters to improve his record to 2-2 this season. Brian McGuire (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer) came in to close the game in the final two innings, striking out three batters in route to earning the save.

Wells connected for 10 hits in the game, three more than UC, but could not manufacture enough runs. A.J. Nesci went 2-for-3 with one RBI while teammate Mike Diehr batted 2-for-3 with one double. Justin Forster registered two hits in the game with one double and one triple. Brandon Shirley was the starting pitcher for Wells in the contest, allowing five runs in just over four innings in the loss. Shirley's record drops to 1-1 so far this season.

The Pioneers will return to action on Friday to play their first home game of the season, depending on the weather conditions. The team will host Empire 8 opponent Houghton College for a 4 p.m. start time.