UTICA, NY - The Pioneer baseball team opened their home schedule on Wednesday night with a spontaneous showdown against Saratoga Springs side Skidmore. In their first time defending home field during the 2025 season, the Pioneers battled back from a late deficit to tie the matchup in the eleventh hour, eventually settling for an 8-8 tie after ten innings due to the rapidly declining sunlight despite the late fireworks lighting up the field.
 
The Pioneers got down early, falling behind 7-3 after just four frames. They would mount a massive comeback though, grabbing five of the next six runs scored to knot the game at eight apiece in the bottom of the ninth. The orange and blue had a few opportunities to end the proceedings but couldn't push the deciding run across as the night sky descended on a warm and breezy Utica University campus.
 
Utica played some excellent small ball, with the home side sticking around in the matchup despite posting eight less hits than their opposition. Six different Pioneer batters each logged a singular base knock in the action, contributing to their team total of six hits. The offense was created by the home team's superior patience at the plate, as the Pioneers accrued a total of 10 walks on the evening. The team was able to stay close with Skidmore thanks in large part to Mike Rockwell (Liverpool, NY/Cicero), who picked up a trio of walks on the night. Rockwell converted this veteran disposition into two runs for the orange and blue.
 
Jacob Pian (Stony Point, NY/North Rockland) finished with the team-high in RBI on the night, cashing in two Pioneer runners thanks to a clutch single in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Speaking of clutch, Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor) embodied that moniker towards the end of the midweek tilt. The Proctor product came up huge in the bottom of the ninth, launching a ball deep into the right-center gap to score Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) all the way from first base. Duval's massive double brought the Pioneers to within one run at 8-7 Skidmore. The lead was eventually erased as Duval advanced to third and then made it home on a wild pitch, tying the game at eight in the final inning of play.
 
The late-game offensive struggles for Skidmore coincided with the first-career appearance for Frankfort native Angelo DeSarro (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Schuyler) on the mound. DeSarro entered the matchup in the fifth inning, immediately being thrust into the thick of things as he matched up against a hot Thoroughbreds lineup for his first collegiate inning. DeSarro was up for the task though, as the Pioneer newcomer put in four solid innings, allowing just two hits and zero earned runs as he allowed the team to flip the table on the Thoroughbreds. The Pioneer newcomer dazzled with his dynamic array of pitches, also striking out four Skidmore batters over the four-inning spell.
 
As his collegiate debut came to an end, DeSarro then gave way for fellow reliever Tim Martin (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls Lima), who had a great outing in his own right. Martin toed the rubber for the final two innings of play before the game was called, with the veteran tossing two innings and allowing just one hit along with zero earned runs.
 
The duo of DeSarro and Martin allowed just one total run between the both of them over their six innings of work, opening the door for the Pioneers to come back and tie the proceedings late.
 
After Duval tied the contest in the ninth inning, the Pioneers couldn't push one more across as the game was sent to extra innings. In the tenth, both teams went down fairly quickly, not producing and game-altering offense with the win up for grabs.
 
At the end of inning number 10, visibility became an issue, and the game was called due to insufficient light, resulting in a tie.
 
The Pioneers laterally moved to 5-4-1 on the year, gaining some good experience before a crucial three-game series with SUNY Poly that begins this Saturday. Game one of the arterial encounter will begin at 1:00 PM on Saturday at the Utica University Baseball Complex.