CORTLAND, NY - The Utica University baseball team claimed its season series against the Russell Sage College Gators thanks to an 11-6 win in game one before falling 15-12 in game two at Gutchess Sports Complex on Sunday. 
 
Utica 11, Sage 6 (7 Inn.)
 
John Son (Mellville, NY/Half Hollow Hills) had a perfect performance at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and a walk to go with two RBI. Steve Sclafani (North Massapequa, NY/Farmingdale) recorded three hits in three trips to the play while Matthew Kanyuk (Mellville, NY/Hills East), Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) and Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) each had two hits in the win. Fasolo also drove in a team-high four runs. 
 
On the mound, James Roeschlaub (Auburn, NY/Auburn) earned the win after going five-plus innings allowing four runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts and four walks issued. Aidan McCue (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park) produced one inning with one unearned run allowed on no hits with two walks and a strikeout. Chris D'Agostino (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) pitched the final inning giving up one run on two hits and two walks with a strikeout. 
 
The Pioneers jumped on the board early in the top of the 1st. With one away, John Son (Mellville, NY/Half Hollow Hills) tripled home Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) and Joe Battista (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) for a 2-0 advantage. Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) stepped into the box next and immediately singled home Son from third for a 3-0 Utica lead. 
 
Later in the inning with the bases loaded and two outs, Steve Sclafani (North Massapequa, NY/Farmingdale) was hit by a pitch to bring in the Pioneers' fourth run of the 1st as the team went into the bottom half ahead 4-0. 
 
Starting pitcher James Roeschlaub (Auburn, NY/Auburn) made quick work of the Gators in the home half of the 1st as the lefty set down the side in order on just nine pitches. 
 
Utica tacked on three more runs in the top of the 2nd thanks to a two-RBI Fasolo single and an RBI single by Matthew Kanyuk (Mellville, NY/Hills East). 
 
Following another shutdown inning by Roeschlaub in the 2nd, Joe Battista (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) singled home May in the top of the 3rd to grow Utica's lead to 8-0. Roeschlaub once again set the Sage lineup down in order in the bottom of the 3rd before the Gators got to the senior in the bottom of the 4th for one run. The Pioneers would still take a seven run lead, 8-1, into the top of the 5th. 
 
The sides exchanged scoreless halves of the 5th before the Pioneers added another insurance run in the top of the 6th by way of a John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) RBI groundout for a 9-1 lead. 
 
Looking to mount a comeback, Sage opened the bottom of the 6th with bases loaded and no outs. This would be the end of Roeschlaub's afternoon as Aidan McCue (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park) came in looking to get Utica out of the jam. The freshman walked in two runs on the first two batters he faced followed by an E5, making it 9-4 with the bases still loaded and none away. 
 
From there, McCue limited the damage as he allowed just one more run in by way of a sacrifice fly before ending the inning picking off the runner on second to allow the team to enter the 7th and final inning up 9-5. 
 
Utica responded with two runs in the top of the 7th while Sage came back with one run in the bottom half and threatened with the bases loaded with one out. However, Chris D'Agostino (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) got out of the jam with minimal damage to secure the series win with an 11-6 victory. 
 
Sage 15, Utica 12
 
At the dish, Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw), Andrew Salbinski (Essex, CT/Valley Regional) and John Son (Mellville, NY/Half Hollow Hills) led Utica with two hits each. May drove in a team-high four runs followed by Son with three. 
 
On the mound, starter Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) picked up the win after going five innings allowing six runs, just two earned, on nine hits while striking out five and walking three. Derrike Goutremout (Chaumont, NY/Lyme Central) went one-plus innings allowing six runs, four earned, on three hits and three walks in the losing effort. Jack Krug (Rotterdam Junction, NY/Canajoharie) and Jake Mangino (Sayville, NY/Sayville) combined for one run allowed over two innings as well. 
 
Utica claimed a 1-0 lead following the top of the 1st inning. Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) walked to start the game and after two straight Pioneer outs, John Son (Mellville, NY/Half Hollow Hills) continued his red-hot stretch with an RBI double to left field. However, the Gators took a hold of the lead in the bottom half with a one-out, two-run homerun off of starting pitcher Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) as the Pioneers entered the top of the 2nd trailing 2-1. 
 
With two outs in the 2nd and runners on first and second, the Pioneers tied the game on a May RBI single before the next at-bat resulted in an E7, allowing Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's) to score from second for a 3-2 lead. Knabe settled in and got out of the 2nd unharmed as Utica still led 3-2 entering the top of the 3rd. 
 
In the 3rd, Andrew Salbinski (Essex, CT/Valley Regional) gave classmate Knabe an insurance run with bases loaded RBI single before the Pioneers added six more runs to take a convincing 10-2 lead. 
 
Sage would, however, tack on four runs in the bottom of the 4th to cut its deficit to 10-6 entering the 5th. 
 
After a scoreless 5th, Utica added a run in the top of the 6th to lead 11-6 entering the Sage half of the frame. 
 
Derrike Goutremout (Chaumont, NY/Lyme Central) came on in relief for Knabe in the bottom of the 6th and thanks to an E8, allowed two Gators to score in the inning, making it an 11-8 game in favor of the Pioneers entering the 7th. 
 
In the home half of the 7th, Sage loaded the bases with no outs and immediately sent two home on a single to cut its deficit to 11-10 with runners on the corners and still none away. The Gators eventually put up seven runs in all to lead 15-11 going into the 8th. 
 
The Pioneers got one run back in the top half of the 8th to make it a 15-12 game in favor of Sage entering the home half of the frame. Jake Magino pitched Utica out of the inning to bring the team to its final three outs trailing by three runs. 
 
Sage would set the Utica lineup down in the 9th, however, to avoid the series sweep. 
 
Utica (10-4, 2-1 Empire 8) will host Union College in non-conference action at 3 p.m. on Tuesday for its home opener.