CLINTON, NY- The Utica College baseball team dropped a heartbreaker Tuesday evening as it fell to local rival, Hamilton College 13-11 in non-conference action.
 
Utica fell into an early hole as it trailed 7-0 after two and a half innings and the Continentals kept up the pressure scoring a least one run in each of the first five innings.  Trailing 11-2 in the fifth, Utica exploded for seven runs to close the deficit to just two.
 
The Pioneers kept up the pressure by plating two runs in the sixth to tie things up at 11-11. The score remained the same heading in the ninth inning before Hamilton pulled ahead with a pair of scores to spoil the Pioneers' comeback hopes.
 
Senior Christian Tiffin (Sherrill, NY/VVS) was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while classmate Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) was 3-for-6, including a clutch leadoff triple in the fifth inning to spark the Utica rally. 
 
Junior Matthew Leviton (South River, NJ/South River) was 2-for-4 with one run scored and Maki Medici (Latham, NY/Shaker), Matthew Fitzgerald (Clinton, NY/Notre Dame), Ryan Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS), Chris Ramsundar, and Charles McAllister (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker) each had one hit.   
 
Timothy Horodnick (Durhamville, NY/VVS), Kyle Bailey (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Central Catholic), and Justin McKenna (Pittsburgh, PA/Plum Senior HS) combined for nine strikeouts on the mound for Utica. 
 
The Pioneers (5-14, 1-4 Empire 8) have a quick turnaround as they host SUNY Canton for an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon.  First pitch of game one is scheduled for 2 p.m.