SCHENECTADY, NY - Getting the job done in whatever way necessary was the mantra for the Utica University baseball team on Friday. With backs to the wall, the Pioneers topped top-seeded Russell Sage College in 15 innings, 4-3, and fourth-seeded Houghton University, 11-5, in a pair of elimination games to win their way into Saturday's Empire 8 Championship. 
 
Third-seeded Utica will take on second-seeded St. John Fisher University in the title game at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Pioneers will need to win that game as well as a potential game two at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday to win the title. The Cardinals will need to win one of the potential two games to be crowned Empire 8 champions. 
 
Game 3: Utica 4, Sage 3 - Elimination Game Final (15 Inn.)
Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) and Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) each hit solo home runs which came 13 innings apart. John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) and Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor) had three hits each, Duval doing so with an RBI and Longeretta with a run scored. 
 
Frederick Callo Jr. (Milton, NY/Marlboro) and Connor Ford (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) were the iron men on the bump that combined to go all 15 innings. Callo was the game's starter and went nine frames and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits, four walks and two hit batters while striking out nine. Ford's six innings of relief earned him the win as he held Sage to no runs on three hits, two walks and one hit batter while striking out four. 
 
Scalise got Utica going as early as possible, stepping up to plate in the top of the 1st inning with one away and smashing his first career home run for a 1-0 lead. However, the Gators returned the favor with two runs in the bottom of the 1st by way of a two-out RBI single and steal of home by Stearns. 
 
From there, Callo, as well as counterpart Joe Degroot, went tit for tat with scoreless 2nd and 3rd innings. The Pioneers evened the score in the top of the 4th on a Duval RBI double. The team regained the lead in the top of the 5th on an error by Degroot that allowed Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's) to score. 
 
Now 3-2 Utica in the bottom of the 5th, Callo retired 12 of the next 15 Sage batters to keep the Pioneers ahead entering the 9th with the score still 3-2. 
 
The Pioneers couldn't put together any insurance runs for Callo in the top of the 9th to send Sage up down to their final three outs trailing by one. With two outs and a runner on third, a Callo error allowed the run to score and tie the game at 3-3. Callo eventually finished off the frame to send the game into extra's. 
 
Sage had runners in scoring position over the 10th-12th innings while Utica squandered a chance with Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) on second base in the top of the 13th but couldn't bring him in. Ford remained poised on the mound throughout, setting down the Gators in order in the 13th and allowing one runner in the 14th to send the game into the 15th. 
 
There, one of the longest tenured Pioneers came through when needed most. Leading off the frame, Crossley sent a missile over the left field fence to put Utica back into the driver's seat going into the bottom half. 
 
The Gators opened up with a leadoff single before advancing the runner to second on a sacrifice bunt. Ford got the next batter to ground out to Longeretta at third base to put Utica one out away from advancing. With two strikes on his next batter, Ford put one in the dirt and forced a swing and miss while the ball dribbled away from Scalise behind the plate. The freshman backstop collected it and tossed the batter out at first to end the game and move Utica on to game five. 
 
Game 5: Utica 11, Houghton 5 - Elimination Game Final
A total five Pioneers finished tied for the team lead two two hits in Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) (2B, RBI, R), Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) (2 2B, 2 RBI, R), Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's) (2B, 2 RBI, R), Andrew Salbinski (Essex, CT/Valley Regional) (2 RBI, R), and Jack Scanlon (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) (2 BB, 2 R). 
 
Peyton Newton (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport) earned the victory after going six innings in relief allowing two runs on six hits, two walks, one hit batter while striking out three. Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) opened the game on the hill and went three deep giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits, two walks and a hit batter. 
 
After allowing the first two batters of the game to reach base, Czternastek settled in and retired the next three batters in top of the 1st to help set up a Utica lead in the bottom half. With one out and Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) on first, Story roped a double into right field to score the freshman and give Utica a 1-0 lead. 
 
However, the Highlanders broke through on the righty Czternastek with one run each in the 2nd and 3rd innings to lead 2-1. After allowing a leadoff single in the top of the 4th, Czternastek was relieved for Newton. Newton allowed that runner to come in after a two-out infield error that pushed Houghton's lead to 3-1. 
 
While in the bottom of the 4th, the Pioneers began a run of 10 unanswered runs over four frames to pull away from the Highlanders. 
 
The scoring run began in the 4th on a Crossley sacrifice fly. Then in the bottom of the 5th, the Pioneers tied the game on a Salbinski RBI base-hit. Following another clean frame from Newton, Utica jumped back out in front come the bottom of the 6th thanks to a bases-loaded RBI walk worked by Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Story. 
 
Still ahead 5-3 in the bottom of the 8th, the Pioneers tacked on six insurance runs for Newton to work with with RBis from Salbinski, Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor), Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), and two from Lancer Berger. Salbinski also scored in the inning on a wild pitch. 
 
The Highlanders looked to make a large comeback in the 9th with some one and two-out RBIs that made it an 11-5 contest. However, the deficit was far too much at that point as Newton pitched into a game-ending fly out to right field to send Utica back to the league championship. 
 
Utica will take on St. John Fisher University in the Empire 8 Championship game at 1 p.m. on Saturday from Central Park in Schenectady, NY. The Pioneers will need to win that game as well as a potential game two at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday to win the title. The Cardinals will need to win one of the potential two games to be crowned Empire 8 champions.