ELMIRA, NY - The Utica University baseball team collected a crucial sweep over Elmira College, winning 13-6 in game one (7 Inn.) and 17-3 (7 Inn.) in game two to keep the team very alive in the playoff hunt. Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) reached the 100 career hits milestone to become just the 18th player in program history to do so.
 
Utica 13, Elmira 6 (7 Inn.)
 
Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) turned in a career game going 2-for-2 with a career-high four RBIs, three runs scored, and a pair of walks. John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) also had a great game driving in a trio of runs. Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) went 2-for-4 with two RBIs with Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor) going 3-for-5 and driving in one. The trio of Dom Faoslo, Jack Scanlon (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute), and Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's) each drove in one RBI with Fasolo's coming via a home run. 
 
Jack Krug (Rotterdam Junction, NY/Canajoharie) got the start on the bump and pitched the full seven innings allowing six runs, all earned, on 10 hits, with three walks, and striking out six to improve his record to 4-1 this season. 
 
Crossley, Scalise, and Story all walked to give the team bases loaded and no outs in the top of the 1st. Longeretta drove in Crossley via a sacrifice fly with Duval singling to plate Story and give the team a 2-0 edge. 
 
Berger singled to start the 2nd and came around to score on a Scalise sacrifice fly to extend the Utica lead to 3-0. 
 
Elmira turned in a big inning in the 4th using four hits to plate four runs and take a 4-3 advantage after four innings of play. Yet, Utica responded quickly with Fasolo smacking a leadoff homer in the top of the 5th to knot the score at 4-4. Scalise singled to score Berger and Story singled to score Crossley and extended the lead to 6-4. The lineup kept producing as Longeretta smacked a single to plate Story and Scalise and give the Pioneers an 8-4 advantage.
 
The Utica bats remained scorching as Duval roped a leadoff triple in the 6th and scored on a Scanlon single to push the lead to 9-4. A Scalise double plated Scanlon and Fasolo with Story scoring Scalise on the next play to push the lead to 12-4. Berger tacked on a sacrifice fly in the 7th to make it a 13-4 game. The Soaring Eagles plated a pair in the bottom of the inning and 13-6 would be the game's final score and secure the large E8 victory for Utica.
 
Utica 17, Elmira 3 (7 Inn.)
 
The Pioneers bats were explosive smacking 12 hits and scoring 17 runs in game two. Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) was fantastic going 2-for-5 with a team-leading five RBIs while also scoring twice. Duval tallied two hits and a trio of RBIS with Andrew Salbinski (Essex, CT/Valley Regional) going a perfect 3-for-3 while driving in two. Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro), Jack Scanlon (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute), and Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's) each drove in a pair of runs with Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) adding two hits and crossing the plate four times.
 
Peyton Newton (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport) got the nod going five innings allowing three runs, all earned, on eight hits while striking out three to earn the first victory of his Pioneer career. Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) closed out the final two innings allowing only one base runner via a hit by pitch while striking out three.
 
It was a quiet start to game two with neither team scoring through the first two innings of the contest.
 
Utica manufactured a run in the 3rd as Scanlon reached on an error and came around to score on a Crossley groundout to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead. However, Elmira used an extra-base hit in the bottom of the frame to knot the score at 1-1 after three innings of play.
 
The 4th inning was massive for Utica as the team used seven hits to plate nine runs and extend their lead to 10-1. Fasolo had a bases clearing triple and scored on a Scanlon single to make it 5-1. Berger then homered to plate two more runs and make it a 7-1 Pioneers advantage. The entire lineup continued to get on base with Salbinski singling home two more and a Duval single pushing the lead to 10-1.
 
Elmira trimmed the lead to 10-3 in the 5th, yet the Utica responded in the 6th as Story roped a leadoff double. A Duval single plated Story and a Scanlon single scored Salbinski. Duval came around to score on a wild pitch and make it a 13-3 Pioneers advantage.
 
Utica turned in another quality inning in the 7th as Duval drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Fasolo plated two on an RBI single. A Crossley walk forced in another run to make it a 17-3 game which would stand as the game's final score.
 
Utica (13-21, 7-7 Empire 8) will travel and face Houghton University on Monday, April 29 at 3 p.m.