ONONDAGA, NY - The Utica University baseball team split its Wednesday doubleheader with the SUNY Canton Kangaroos from Onondaga Community College. The 'Roos took game one 8-3 in seven innings while the Pioneers walked-off for a 2-1 game two win in nine frames.
Game 1: SUNY Canton 8, Utica 3 (7 Inn.)
At the dish,
Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor) (2-4, RBI),
Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) (2-4) and
Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) (2-2, BB) all finished with multiple hits while
Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) (1-3, 2B) and
Tanner Warren (Mohawk, NY/Central Valley Academy) (0-1) each had an RBI.
Tim Martin (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls Lima) started the game and went 3.1 innings allowing four runs on eight hits, three hit batters and a walk with three strikeouts.
Ben Freeman (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) allowed four runs, two earned, over 2.2 innings in relief off five hits and a walk. He also struck out three.
Angelo Podagrosi (Utica, NY/Proctor) pitched a clean 7th with two strikeouts.
Canton got the scoring started in the 4th inning with an RBI single two batters into the half-inning. Later with the bases loaded and one away, another base hit brought home two more runs before the next batter followed suit with an RBI single to center to make it 4-0.
After the 'Roos scored twice more in the top of the 5th, the Pioneers looked primed to put their mark on the board. With runners on second and third with one out, Warren hit a deep fly ball to center field to bring home
Andrew Salbinski (Essex, CT/Valley Regional) from third. The next batter, Duval, roped one into right field to score Scalise from third to make it 6-2.
Utica chipped away further in the bottom of the 6th as a leadoff triple by Story set up an RBI ground out by Crossley to come within three. However, that would be all for Utica as the game moved into the final frame.
There, Canton chalked up two more runs to go up 8-3. The Pioneers had their first two batters reach base to start the bottom of the 7th but the next three went down in order to end the game.
Game 2: Utica 2, SUNY Canton 1
Jack Krug (Rotterdam Junction, NY/Canajoharie) tossed a gem in the second game as the junior went the distance allowing just one run on nine hits and three walks (one intentional). He also struck out eight batters and faced just eight over the minimum.
The Utica offense combined for five hits in the game, led by
Jason Story's (Hilton, NY/Hilton) two and
Jack Scanlon (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute),
Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) and
John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) each having one. Story drove in one of the team's runs while Longeretta was the hero with the walk-off single in the 9th.
Over his first two frames, Krug faced just seven batters and allowed a leadoff single in the 2nd. He worked out of the jam with a fielder's choice ground out and two pop-ups in the infield. In the 3rd, Krug allowed his lone blemish as a leadoff triple eventually scored on a sacrifice fly.
The Utica offense was quiet through its first five trips to the dish, sending 18 players to bat with just one hit to show. The team showed life in the 6th as
Micah Fiorello (Brooktondale, NY/Ithaca) walked to open the half-inning and was subbed out for pinch runner
Tom Ziskin (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam). Ziskin was advanced to second base on a Duval sacrifice bunt while a Scanlon ground out moved him to third base.
With two outs and the final inning approaching,
Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) clutched-up and singled Ziskin home to knot the score at 1-1 as the game moved into the 7th.
Krug remained firm on the hill as he retired the Canton side in order to give the Pioneers a chance to win in the bottom half.
Crossley opened up Utica's half with a double however, he would end up stranded on third base later in the inning to force extra-innings.
The 'Roos had a chance to take the lead in the top of the 8th with a runner at third and two away. Just as he had been doing all game though, Krug got out of the frame without damage as he induced an inning-ending ground out.
Utica again had a runner on third in the bottom of the 8th with two away but couldn't capitalize as the game entered the 9th still 1-1. Canton was held scoreless in the top of the 9th to give the Pioneers another crack at ending the game. And this time they would.
Antonio Martinez (Sunrise, FL/Western) started the inning off by getting on base on an E5. He was advanced to second on a Warren sacrifice bunt and then to third on a Duval fly out. With two gone,
John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) connected for a base hit to center field, allowing Martinez to walk home from third for the 2-1 victory.
Utica (5-11, 0-2 Empire 8) will host St. John Fisher for its home opener this weekend. The teams will meet at 3 p.m. on Friday before playing a doubleheader on Saturday with game one set to start at noon.
