UTICA, NY - The Utica University baseball team is set for a week of non-conference action following its makeup game against Russell Sage College at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. The team will then travel to face Oneonta at 4 p.m. on Wednesday before traveling to Vassar College for a three-game series this weekend.
Follow Along: Those unable to attend Tuesday's home game can keep up with live video/stats through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. Oneonta is providing live stats through
https://oneontaathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary while Vassar will have live video through
https://boxcast.tv/channel/s654aw1miyflqi3lxkju?_gl=1*z5u2ft*_ga*NjAxODE4MzUyLjE2NjA2NzYxMTA.*_ga_PXBBF7HVWQ*MTcwNTU5NTYwMC41MDUuMS4xNzA1NTk1NjAyLjAuMC4w and live stats at
https://www.vassarathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary.
Last Time Out: The Utica University baseball team dropped both games of its doubleheader against the Russell Sage College Gators on Sunday. Utica fell in game one 11-7 in seven innings before dropping game two 10-3 from Shuttleworth Park.
Game 1: Russell Sage 11, Utica 7 (7 Inn.): Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) had quite the game at the dish as the senior went 4-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored. Home homers served as the 10th and 11th of his career, making him the ninth player in program history to have 10 or more career home runs.
Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) and
Steve Sclafani (North Massapequa, NY/Farmingdale) had multi-hit games as well while
Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor) drove in a pair of runs.
Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) picked up the loss after two innings allowing six runs on four hits and two walks.
Tim Martin (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls Lima) tossed 1.1 innings in relief and allowed three runs on three hits and a walk.
Nicholas Greene (Rome, NY/Central Valley Academy) threw a solid 3.2 innings as he allowed two unearned runs on three hits and two walks.
Game 2: Russell Sage 10, Utica 3: Utica combined for five hits in the game as
Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro),
Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor),
Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton),
John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) and
Micah Fiorello (Brooktondale, NY/Ithaca) each had one. Story and Fiorello went for extra-bases as Story smashed his ninth home run of the season while Fiorello doubled.
Austin Rhodes (Wappingers Falls, NY/Kennedy Catholic) made the start and was tabbed with the loss after going six innings allowing six runs (four earned) on four hits and four walks. Rhodes also struck out four.
Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) came in for one inning and gave up two runs on two walks and a hit while
Connor Ford (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) tossed the final two innings allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
Read all About it: Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) continues his scorching-hot senior season as he earned Empire 8 Player of the Week honors. Story had at least one hit in each of Utica's four games this past week while going 8-for-15 in all with four home runs and had one triple. Story drove in 10 runs over the week and came around to score eight times. In the team's win over Alfred on Monday he went 1-for-3 with a triple, two walks, an RBI and three runs scored. He belted his sixth home run of the year on Wednesday against SUNY Poly before combining for three more in Sunday's doubleheader against Sage. In game one, Story went 4-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored. In game two he hit his ninth home run of the season and his third of the day as part of his 1-for-3, two RBI game. On the season, Story is hitting .415 with a .525 on base percentage and .938 slugging percentage. He has also scored a team high 23 runs and has driven in 19. The senior is second in the nation in slugging percentage and is tied for 20th in home runs with nine.
The Kid Can Rake: Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) raked in Empire 8 Rookie of the Week accolades after an outstanding four game stretch last week. The Whitesboro native had at least one hit in each of Utica's four games this week, going 8-for-17 with two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored. Against Alfred on Monday, the freshman went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. He followed that up with two hits against SUNY Poly on Wednesday while having one in each game against Russell Sage on Sunday. This season, Scalise is hitting .410 with 16 hits through 39 at bats with a .510 on base percentage. The freshman has shined in his first year with the team and will be a large part of the program for years to come.
About Sage: The Sage Gators are 13-10 on the year with a 6-1 start to conference play. After dropping a pair of games to Sage in Sunday April 14th's double header, Utica will square off with the Gators once again on Tuesday for the final contest of their conference series. Brendan Espinal was absent for Sunday's doubleheader but has been the team's top bat, pacing the team in hits with 36 with a line of .462/.543/.762. James Lubanski has been a powerful bat for the Gators, driving in a team high 32 runs, ranking second in the conference along with 10 doubles and three home runs for a .307 average. Jeff Stearnes has been a key addition to the squad as well slashing .373/.505/.518. Liam Doyle and Nolan Sniffen have each thrown 20+ innings on the mound. Doyle has accumulated a 7.18 ERA while Sniffen has a 6.43.
A Look at Oneonta: The Oneonta Red Dragons sit 12-16 on the season with a 3-9 slate in SUNYAC play. Sophomore Joey Dwyer has been outstanding this year, batting .410 with four doubles, two triples, five home runs, 29 stolen bases and 43 total hits. He leads all SUNYAC players in stolen bases and is second in batting average. Sean Liquori, Logan Hutter, and Anthony Foglia have all been consistent producers in the lineup as well, all hitting above .350. Hutter leads the team in RBI's with 32 and has hit five home runs on the year. Sean Liquori and Kyle Roper have paced the team in innings thrown. Liquori, a veteran lefty, has accumulated a 5.4 ERA and 39 K's through 41.2 innings while Roper has a 6.62 ERA and 33 K's across 34 innings.
Scouting Vassar: The Vassar Brewers are currently on a four-game winning streak with a record of 8-15 on the season. Junior catcher, Michael Lee leads the team with a .440 batting average thus far, going 12 for his last 16. Reid Lapekas paces the team with 37 hits while accumulating a .398 batting average. Jack Silvera has been the team's top power bat with three home runs, while hitting .315 with a .548 slugging percentage. Michael Came, Pat Kerrigan, and Addison Lee have all thrown 28+ innings for the team. Came has registered a 6.62 ERA, Kerrigan a 6.67, and Lee a 7.39.
Up Next: Utica will remain on the road next week and will make the short trip to SUNY Poly at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24.
