Aurora, NY - The Utica College baseball team went on the road Wednesday night and secured a convincing 13-3 opening day victory over Wells College.
The Pioneers wasted no time putting pressure on the Express as in the top of the first they plated two runs thanks to a Daniel Parslow (Fonda, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) RBI single followed by a Joe Battista (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) RBI single. Battista would go on to finish the game a perfect 3/3 while scoring three runs and working a pair of walks.
Starter Griffin Baur (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) surrendered one run in the bottom off the first by way of a sacrifice fly, making it a 2-1 game. Baur finished with two innings pitched while surrendering the one run on one hit with one strikeout and walk.
After UC plated three runs in the fourth and fifth innings and Wells added one of their own in the fifth to make it a 5-3 game, it became all Pioneers from that point on. Zac Cronk (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Central Catholic) started the scoring surge with a two RBI single in the sixth inning which was then followed up by a Noah Barber (Cortland, NY/Cortland) RBI double and Matthew Leviton (South River, NJ/South River) RBI single in the seventh inning, extending the Pioneers lead to 9-3.
Utica would put up four more runs in the eighth thanks to a two RBI double off the bat of Shamariah McCullough (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) followed by a Barber and Leviton RBI single each. Leviton finished the game going 3/4 at the plate while Barber went a perfect 2/2 off the bench. Those insurance runs would be the last of the game for either side as Brenden Sarnowski and Ryan Cardone (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) pitched a clean eighth and ninth to secure the 13-3 win.
The pitching staff ran deep Wednesday night as the Pioneers used six different pitchers. As a staff they allowed one earned run on six hits while setting down nine and walking five. Senior Travis Grogan (Middletown, NY/Middletown) picked up the win as he threw the fourth and fifth innings allowing two runs, none earned, on two hits to go along with his four strikeouts and two walks.
UC (1-0) will have a quick turnaround as they travel to Cortland on Saturday for a doubleheader against Cazenovia College. Game times are set for noon and 2 p.m.
