Cortland, NY – The Utica College baseball team made a trip to taken on #6 SUNY Cortland on Wednesday. The Pioneers scored a few runs late in the game, but could not overcome an early deficit as they lost 8-3.
Ryan Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS) went 3-for-5 at the plate for UC and touched home plate to register one run.
Christian Tiffin (Sherrill, NY/VVS) batted 1-for-3, which included a sacrifice fly to center field in the seventh inning to bring teammate
Adam Nell (Vernon, NY/VVS) in to score.
The nationally ranked Red Dragons did most of their damage in the second innings, as a base-clearing double from Colin BeVard sparked an early 5-0 lead over Utica. UC got on the board in the top of the seventh and went on to score one run in both the eighth and ninth innings as well. However, the early lead and a seventh inning, two-run double from Cortland's Austin Kaplan secured a win for the No. 6 team in the country.
Brett Sarnowski (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) started with command of the ball, as he allowed five earned runs in two innings of work. Sarnowski (1-1) received the losing decision and was relieved in the third inning by fellow senior
Kolbie Glionna (Hagaman, NY/Amsterdam).
Justin Shabman (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Kennedy Catholic),
Ryan Keefe (Ballston, NY/Ballston Spa), and
Justin McKenna (Pittsburgh, PA/Plom Senior HS) all threw for at least one inning in the contest without surrendering a single run. Keefe struck out two batters in his single inning shift. UC's record now stands at 11-10 overall.
The Cortland Red Dragons improved to 26-6 on the season, as starting pitcher Andrew Barnes (2-1) earned the win on the day. Barnes struck out two in just three innings on the mound and did not allow any runs to score. A crew of six different relievers entered the game to pitcher for Cortland, combining for a total of six strike outs.
The Pioneers are scheduled for a busy weekend ahead, with home matchups against Oneonta and St. John Fisher. The set with Oneonta will begin 4:30 p.m. Friday. The three-game series against the Cardinals starts with a doubleheader Saturday, with game one at 1 p.m. Then Sunday at 12 p.m. will be the third and final game of the series.
