CORTLAND, NY - Steady pitching mixed with a combined 34 runs over two games surged the Utica University baseball team on Sunday in a sweep over the Elmira College Soaring Eagles.
Utica 17, Elmira 1
Utica kept its late-inning momentum from Saturday into game one, striking immediately for a pair of runs in the top of the 1st inning.
Utica loaded the bases within the first three hitters and scored its first run on a RBI double play ball to third base off the bat of
Joe Battista (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls).
Jack Bono's (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Fort Schuyler) bat remained hot in his first trip to the dish as he doubled home
Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) for the second run of the 1st frame.
Ryan Cardone (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) was in control from start to finish, fighting off a leadoff single to retire 12 of the next 13 Soaring Eagle hitters through the 4th inning. Utica added three more runs in the 2nd and 3rd before tacking on four in the 4th to lead 12-0 leading into the 5th.
Cardone's lone blemish came in the bottom of the 5th on a two-out single to extend the game into the 6th frame at 12-1. In the 7th inning still 12-1 in favor of Utica,
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw),
Shamariah McCullough (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) and
Zac Cronk (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Central Catholic) drove in runs en route to a five run inning to go into the 7th and final frame up 17-1. In the home half, Cardone sent down the side to end the game and take game three of four of the weekend series.
In his complete game win, Cardone surrendered six hits and stuck out two while facing just three batters over the minimum. At the plate,
Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) went a perfect 3-for-3 with two walks, three RBI and three runs scored. McCullough also had a three hit game with four runs scored and a RBI while
Michael Muentener (Fairview, NJ/Cliff Side Park), Bono and Cronk had two hit games, each driving in two runs. Dom Faslo went on to hit a two-run home run in the 4th inning as well.
Utica 17, Elmira 7 (8 Inn.)
The Pioneers fell into an early 5-0 deficit in game two after two innings before a failed pickoff attempt in the top of the 3rd inning allowed
Michael Muentener (Fairview, NJ/Cliff Side Park) to score from third base to make it 5-1.
Elmira answered back with one in the home half while neither team scored in the 4th inning as the game remained 5-1.
Utica's bats came alive in the 5th and 6th innings as the team put up 15 runs between the two frames.
Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) started the offensive onslaught when he cleared the bases with a double in the 5th inning before
Joe Battista (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) tied the game with a two-run home run to right. The team took the lead on a fielder's choice that scored
Jack Bono (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Fort Schuyler) from second base.
With the score 8-6 Utica in the 6th, Bono and
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) drove in the first three runs of the inning while
Zac Cronk (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Central Catholic) and
Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) combined to drive in five more runs in the inning to lead 16-7 entering the home half.
Meanwhile,
Ben Hladun (Ballston Lake, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake ),
Brian Dinnen (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) and
Jake Mangino (Sayville, NY/Sayville) combined to throw six innings of relief with two runs on six hits and three walks given up. Dinnen threw 1.2 scoreless frames while Mangino threw two full scoreless. Crossley capped the game off with an 8th inning home run, allowing Mangino to finish the bottom half unharmed to end the game via 10-run rule.
Crossley ended 3-for-4 with two walks, four RBI and four runs scored after his 8th inning blast. Muentener, Fasolo, Bono, Cronk and
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) all had multi-hit games as well, Fasolo and Cronk doing so with three RBI and Bono with two.
Utica (15-12, 8-6 Empire 8) will travel to SUNY Cobleskill on Tuesday, April 26 for a 4 p.m. game against the Tigers.
