UTICA, NY - The Utica University baseball team clinched the second-seed and home field advantage throughout the best-of-three Empire 8 Conference Tournament semifinals with its sweep of the Houghton College Highlanders on Saturday.
 
Utica 10, Houghton 5
Starting pitchers Ryan Cardone (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Ryan Newtown got through their first innings of work unharmed while Cardone escaped a one-out double in the top of the 2nd before the Utica offense got going. 
 
Matthew Fitzgerald (Clinton, NY/Notre Dame) stepped in looking to bunt runners over to second and third base with no outs. Fitzgerald legged out the sacrifice attempt for a bunt single while an error by the Highlanders allowed Jack Bono (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Fort Schuyler) to score from second. Shamariah McCullough (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) brought Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) home on a groundout to second while Fitzgerald came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Zac Cronk (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Central Catholic). 
 
With Cardone still dealing, the Pioneers added three more in the 3rd inning with RBI singles by Bono and May as well as a sacrifice fly off the bat of McCullough. The team chalked up three more in the 4th as well thanks to a two-RBI single by Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) and a sacrifice fly by May for a 9-0 lead entering the 5th. 
 
The Highlanders would score three times in the 5th while Michael Muentener (Fairview, NJ/Cliff Side Park) helped bring home one in the home half on a sacrifice bunt to put the team up 10-3 entering the 6th. Although Houghton scored twice more, Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) and May kept the game in check with 1.2 scoreless innings of relief combined to help seal game one. 
 
Cardone picked up his fourth win of the season after allowing five runs on 10 hits while striking out three. May struck out three of four batters faced in the 7th as well. At the plate, Crossley went 3-for-4 with two RBI while May and McCullough drove home a pair each, May doing so on two hits. Fitzgerald also had two base knocks in the win. 
 
Utica 11, Houghton 5
The Highlanders came out of the gates hot, scoring four runs alone in the top of the 1st inning, all of which coming with two outs on two strike counts. However, Pioneers starter Jack Krug (Amsterdam, NY/Canajoharie) settled in as he faced just one batter over the minimum between the 2nd and 4th innings. 
 
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) helped cut the Houghton lead in half with a one-out, two-run jack to right center field that brought home Jack Bono (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Fort Schuyler) from second after he doubled in the previous at-bat. 
 
Krug fell into a jam in the 5th after back-to-back fielding errors gave the Highlanders runners on second and third with no outs. The freshman buckled down in his final inning of work as just one run scored to put Houghton up 5-2. 
 
The Pioneers went on to get Krug off the hook with a three-run home half that tied the game at 5-5. Nathan Yantz (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) came in to pinch hit and took the first pitch of the inning to the top of the left field fence for a two-bagger. Tom Ziskin (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam ) came on to pinch run for Yantz while back-to-back errors brought him home from second base. The other two runs were scored on a Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout by Joe Battista (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls). 
 
Jake Mangino (Sayville, NY/Sayville) came on in relief of Krug and pitched a near-perfect two innings. He allowed just one baserunner on a hit by pitch while striking out four to keep the game tied at 5-5 before the Utica bats took off in the home half of the 7th. 
 
With two outs and Muentener on third base, Battista smoked a double over the head of the center fielder to give the team its first lead of game two. Following Battista, Bono and May walked while Shamariah McCullough (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) came in to pinch hit and worked an RBI walk. The next batter, Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton HS), cleared the bases with a triple to right center field that gave Utica a 10-5 lead. 
 
Brian Dinnen (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) came onto the hill for the 8th inning and after recording two outs, he was pulled with the bases loaded and the tying run in the on-deck circle as May was called upon for the four-out save. May struck out Dylan Boprey to keep the Pioneers up 10-5. 
 
An insurance run was added for Utica in the 8th before May shut the door in the 9th for the win and the sweep. 
 
Krug tossed five innings allowing five runs, four earned, on three hits to go with six strikeouts. Mangino earned his third win after going two scoreless frames while May picked up his fourth save. At the plate, Bono led the team with two hits while Story, Battista and May had multi-RBI games. 
 
Utica (19-14, 12-8 Empire 8) will travel to Hamilton College on Monday as the team enters the final week of regular season play.