UTICA, NY - The Utica University baseball team salvaged a series split with the Elmira College Soaring Eagles at home on Saturday. 
 
Elmira 12, Utica 3
Utica starter James Roeschlaub (Auburn, NY/Auburn HS) worked out of a one-out error in the top of the 1st inning as the southpaw struck out three hitters to start his afternoon on the right foot. An unearned Elmira run in the 2nd inning was erased thanks to an RBI infield single by Shamariah McCullough (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) to tie the game before Michael Muentener (Fairview, NJ/Cliff Side Park) brought home Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) on a comebacker to the pitcher for a 2-1 lead. 
 
The Soaring Eagles reclaimed the lead in the 3rd frame on a single and an error as they held a 3-2 lead entering the 4th. The Pioneers struggled defensively in the top of the 4th, surrendering seven runs with just two being earned to trail 10-2. 
 
Elmira chalked up two more in the 6th while Utica put up one in the 7th as the team fell 12-3 in game one. 
 
Roeschlaub pitched three-plus innings, allowing seven runs, three earned, on six hits with four strikeouts. The bullpen of Jake Mangino (Sayville, NY/Sayville), Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ), Nicholas Greene (Ilion, NY/Central Valley Academy ) and Robert Bibisi (Bristol, CT/Bristol) combined for four innings of relief allowing five runs, two earned, on six hits. 
 
At the plate, six players combined for each of Utica's six hits while Muentener, McCullough and Tyler Kane (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) drove in a run each. 
 
Utica 8, Elmira 1
Pioneers starter Tyler Catalfamo (Albany, NY/Colonie) could not be touched through his first 3.1 innings of work as the lefty faced the minimum through Elmira's first 10 batters before allowing his first hit with one away in the top of the 3rd. The junior also had seven strikeouts through his first four frames. 
 
Utica's offense was held in check through the first five innings before giving Catalfamo some run support in the bottom of the 6th. With the game still even at zero, Michael Muentener (Fairview, NJ/Cliff Side Park) found himself at third base with one away after a walk before an error on a pickoff attempt allowed him to advance two bases. Jack Bono (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Fort Schuyler) roped a single between third base and shortstop to bring home Muentener and break the deadlock. 
 
Bono eventually scored on a two-out base knock by Noah Barber (Cortland, NY/Cortland) to give Utica a 2-0 lead entering the 7th. 
 
With light rain coming down, Catalfamo was given his only blemish thanks to an Elmira leadoff triple followed by an error at shortstop to make it a 2-1 game. Catalfamo escaped after catching a popup on a bunt attempt and beating the runner back to first base for a quick double play before striking out his last batter of the evening. 
 
Bono drove in Utica's third run with two outs in the 7th, this time on a single between the first and second basemen that brought Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton HS) home from second. After Brian Dinnen (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) made quick work of the Soaring Eagles in the top of the 8th, the Pioneer bats came alive for five runs in the home half. 
 
Story drove home Barber on a sacrifice fly to center before Muentener brought home a pair on a single through the right side of the infield. Joe Battista (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) tacked on the final two runs on a two-out laser double to right-center field to give Utica an 8-1 lead entering the final frame. 
 
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) was called upon to shut the door and did so on a strikeout and a game-ending 4-6-3 double play to secure the split. 
 
Catalfamo earned his third win of the season after tossing seven innings allowing one run on four hits to go with nine strikeouts and no walks over 26 batters faced. 
 
At the plate, Bono led the way with a 3-for-5 effort with two RBI. Muentener, May and Story also had two hits each while Muentener drove in two runs and Story one.  
 
Utica (13-12, 6-6 Empire 8) will travel to Cortland, NY on Sunday for another pair against Elmira College starting at 1 p.m.