UTICA, NY - The Utica University baseball team and the Russell Sage College Gators split Friday's Empire 8 Conference Tournament Semifinals to set up a decisive game three on Saturday. 
 
Utica 12, Sage 0
Pioneers starter Ryan Cardone (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) retired the side in order in the 1st inning, clearing the way for the offense to strike big in the home half. 
 
Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) drove in the first two runs of the game on a single up the middle before he came across on a passed ball to put Utica up 3-0. Matthew Fitzgerald (Clinton, NY/Notre Dame) followed with an RBI groundout while Shamariah McCullough (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) singled home Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) to give Cardone and the team a 5-0 lead entering the 2nd. 
 
After another shutdown inning out of the sophomore Cardone, Utica added four more runs in the bottom half of the 2nd. With the bases loaded, Jack Bono (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Fort Schuyler) was hit by a pitch to allow Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) to score from third. May drove him the team's seventh run on a fielder's choice before Fitzgerald made it 9-0 on a single through the right side. 
 
Cardone was able to escape a 3rd inning jam unharmed after the first two Sage batters reached base as well as a 4th inning that saw the Gators have two men on with two away. 
 
The Pioneers scored three more runs in the 4th inning, two of which off of a Zac Cronk (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Central Catholic) single and then an RBI sacrifice fly by Dylan Sicilia (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell ) to push the lead to 12-0. Cardone continued to cruise with the big lead as he allowed just one hit from the 5th through 7th innings while Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) came on for the final two innings to give Utica a 1-0 series lead. 
 
Cardone allowed just three hits over seven shutout innings to go with six strikeouts and no walks. Czternastek allowed two hits over his two shutout frames. At the plate, Crossley and Fasolo led the team with two hits each. Fitzgerald led the Pioneers with three RBI while Crossley, Fasolo and Cronk all had a pair. 
 
Sage 4, Utica 1
James Roeschlaub (Auburn, NY/Auburn HS) struck out the first two Gator batters of the game before surrendering a two-out walk. Back-to-back singles allowed Sage to draw first blood in the game as Utica would trail 1-0 entering the bottom half of the 1st. 
 
Joe Battista (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) came on with runners on the corners and one away and drove a ball all the way to the right field wall that was tracked down and caught, allowing Michael Muentener (Fairview, NJ/Cliff Side Park) to trot home from third and tie the game at 1-1. 
 
Roeschlaub settled in as he struck out five of his next seven batters faced to keep the game in check. Still 1-1 in the 5th frame, Sage scored two quickly to regain the lead at 3-1. Jake Mangino (Sayville, NY/Sayville) came on for Roeschlaub and escaped the inning without any further damage. 
 
Utica struggled to produce offense however, producing three total hits between the bottom of the 5th and the bottom of the 8th inning. Trailing 4-1 in the 9tth, Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) worked a one-out walk as the team looked to make a comeback. The next two Utica batters flew out to strand May and give Sage the 4-1 win to even the series 1-1. 
 
Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) was responsible for two of the team's five hits in game two while Battista drove in the only run in the 1st inning. Roeschlaub pitched 4+ innings allowing three runs on 10 hits while striking out seven. Out of the pen, Mangino tossed two scoreless while Brian Dinnen (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) gave up one unearned run in the 7th inning. Chris D'Agostino (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse ) also pitched two shutout innings in relief. 
 
Utica and Sage will meet again at noon on Saturday for a winner-take-all game three.