Box Score UTICA, NY - The Utica University baseball team returned home on Wednesday afternoon for a two-game excursion with Empire 8 rival Russell Sage College. In the first meeting between the two teams since last year's Empire 8 Tournament elimination game, the Gators used a strong pitching outing to down the Pioneers 8-2. In game two, the team found themselves down 7-2 in the second inning, before using some plate discipline and timely hitting to knot the contest at 7-7 before play was halted due to hailing conditions.
 
The second game will be resumed on April 15th when the Pioneers visit Albany to finish the series with the Gators.
 
In game one, the Pioneers struggled on offense against Sage's powerful lefty Evan Grimes. The Gators used a mix of small ball and plate discipline to push out to a small lead. Grimes did the rest for Russell Sage, using a complete game, nine strikeout performance to stump the Utica offense.
 
The Pioneers did begin to pick up a little steam towards the end of the initial matchup though, putting up a two-spot in the bottom of the seventh. Ty Montrose (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's) were at the forefront of the seventh-inning spurt, with the duo stringing together a pair of hits to produce the first run. Berger also displayed his power and awareness in the seventh inning, reading the wind and sending a ball screaming down the right field line to notch an RBI triple, cashing in Montrose and providing some offensive energy at the end of the opening game. Both Montrose and Berger led the bats in game one with two hits each. Berger nabbed an RBI along with Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) who plated the second run thanks to a fielder's choice later in the seventh.
 
Jordan Henkel (Melville, NY/Walt Whitman) got the start in game one, giving up a few runs to start off the outing before settling in and stalling Sage with a three-strikeout showcase. Justin Notargiacomo (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) entered in the fifth inning, starting off strong but then eventually seeing the Gators pile on a few more runs thanks to worsening conditions involving rain and hail. In the middle part of the matchup, Henkel and Notargiacomo combined to shut out the Gators for four straight innings from the third to the sixth.
 
In the end, the Pioneers grabbed some momentum heading into game two despite the loss.
 
Thanks to their renewed energy, the Pioneers managed to plate seven runs in the first four innings of game two before a delay ahead of the fifth inning. Utica allowed the Gators to score seven runs in the first two frames but held them scoreless in the third and fourth to climb back into the matchup heading into the delay.
 
Brandon Gralla (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) came on in relief for the Pioneers in the second inning, allowing zero runs over his 2.2 innings of work. The freshman shut the door on Russell Sage in what was just his second collegiate appearance on the mound for Utica. Gralla also grabbed three strikeouts in just 12 batters faced, a solid mini-outing for the rookie.
 
Six Pioneers picked up hits in the four-innings of action, with the team equaling their offensive totals from game one in rapid fashion. Mike Rockwell (Liverpool, NY/Cicero) slotted in as the only Pioneer with multiple hits in the second game, also picking up an RBI. Czternastek grabbed two RBIs in the outing to lead the team in game two. He displayed some great discipline at the plate, a sentiment that was shared by the whole team as six different Utica batters drew walks in four innings during game two. The team was also active on the basepaths, with Mazovec, Montrose, Max Gambitta (Cortland, NY/Cortland), and Micah Fiorello (Brooktondale, NY/Ithaca) each nabbing a bag in the mini game.
 
Play was halted after the fourth inning, with the game slated to restart on April 15th in Albany. The Pioneers will finish the game before playing a third matchup on the 15th following the conclusion of the restarted contest.
 
The Pioneers fell to 9-6-1 with the game one loss, dropping to 4-2 in Empire 8 play but still staying near the top of the conference standings. They will be back in action this weekend with a three-game set against Alfred University in Utica. Game one of that series starts at 1:00 PM on Saturday, April 5th.