UTICA, NY - The Utica University baseball team fell to crosstown rival SUNY Poly 9-5 on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) led the team with two hits, three RBIs and a home run that was crushed to right field. John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) tallied two hits and an RBI with Jack Scanlon (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) going 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) remained hot with a pair of singles with Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor) and Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) each smacking one hit. Derek Holmes (Blossvale, NY/Camden) earned an RBI off a sacrifice fly that was hit to the right field warning track.
 
Aidan McCue (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park) got the start going two innings allowing three runs, all earned, on two hits, one walk, three hit batters, and punching out one while being credited with the loss. Connor Ford (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional), Tyler Catalfamo (Albany, NY/Colonie), Ben Freeman (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), Ryan Cardone (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), Jordan Henkel (Melville, NY/Walt Whitman), Peyton Newtown, and Dominick Tallarino (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) each pitched one inning in relief.
 
It was a quiet first inning with Poly putting together a pair of hits to plate three runs and take a 3-0 lead in the top of the 2nd.
 
The next few innings were quiet with each pitcher settling in nicely and not allowing many baserunners.
 
The Wildcats added to their lead plating two more runs in the 5th to take a 5-0 advantage.
 
Yet the Pioneers offense started to come around in the 6th as Jack Scanlon (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) smacked a leadoff single and Story crushed a home run to right field to cut the deficit to 5-2. But Poly responded tacking on another run in the top of the 7th as the team capitalized on an error to push the lead to 6-2. 
 
Utica's bats remained hot in the bottom of the 7th as Antonio Martinez (Sunrise, FL/Western) reached on an error with Duval walking and Scanlon singling to load the bases with no outs. Story singled to trim the lead to 6-3 and Holmes hit a monster sacrifice fly to the right field warning track to make it a 6-4 game. Longeretta singled up the middle to make it 6-5 after seven innings of play.
 
The Wildcats used a strong 9th inning to add on a trio of runs and make it a 9-5 game. Utica had a pair of baserunners on in the bottom of the inning yet 9-5 would stand as the game's final score.
 
Utica (8-15, 3-5 Empire 8) will remain home and host Russell Sage College on Saturday, April 13 in a doubleheader with game one beginning at 1 p.m.