Utica, NY – The Utica College baseball team hosted Stevens on Saturday to kick-off this three-game series of Empire 8 competition. After nine innings the visiting Ducks emerged victorious with a 5-2 win.
 
At the catcher slot, Charles McAllister (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker) went 1-for-3 at the plate with a double and one run scored. McAllister also threw out three Stevens baserunners who attempted to steal second base in the contest. Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) went 1-for-4 with a stolen base, while Maki Medici (Latham, NY/Shaker) tallied two RBI's.
 
Griffin Baur (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) (1-4) was given the loss after starting on the mound. Baur pitched for a full five innings, striking out five before being relieved in the six by Jake Cavanagh (Plainville, NY/King Phillip Regional). Cavanagh and Brian Dinnen (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) would split the remaining four innings of the game.
 
Stevens took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, with a two-run homer from AJ Falconite on the second at-bat of the game. Medici drew a walk with the bases loaded in the second inning for UC, cutting the deficit to just one run. Thomas Paulich went on to drive home two more runs for the Ducks in the fifth and seventh to increase the lead to 4-1.
 
Thomas Giglio (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) singled in the eighth to lead off the inning, and eventually crossed home plate, but the rally stopped there. The Pioneers lost game one of the weekend series, dropping to 4-12 overall and 0-3 in the Empire 8.
 
Utica will be hosting Stevens again on Sunday at 12 p.m. to wrap up the series with a doubleheader.