KEUKA PARK, NY - The Pioneers traveled to Keuka College on Tuesday afternoon for an early-week encounter with the Wolves. In a key doubleheader coming down the final stretch of Empire 8 play, the Pioneers fell in game one by a narrow 4-2 margin before blowing game two wide open to snatch a big bounce back 16-3 victory.
 
Game One: Keuka 4, Utica 2
 
The Pioneers got out to an early 1-0 lead after the first frame before surrendering three unanswered runs over the next two frames to trail 3-1. The orange and blue would attempt to mount a comeback late in the seven-inning series opener, but after Keuka matched the Pioneers' lone run in the fifth inning with a run of their own, the Wolves were eventually able to outlast Utica by a 4-2 final.
 
It was tough sledding on offense in game one, as the Pioneers put together just four combined hits in the seven-frame outing. Despite this, they still produced a solid amount of baserunners thanks to the team combining for six walks. The visitors were making contact at a rapid rate, only striking out five times in the opener. However, they could not find many gaps as they only managed to grab two total runs despite putting bat on ball in most plate appearances.
 
Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's) had the most productive showing in game one, recording a single hit, drawing two walks, and also notching an RBI in the action.
 
Justin Mazovec (Lake Grove, NY/Centereach) began his stellar day with a one hit, two walk performance, also crossing the place twice in the series opener.
 
Jordan Henkel (Melville, NY/Walt Whitman) threw well despite picking up the loss, with the game one starter going four innings and allowing just three runs. Michael Flint (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) also did great in relief, giving up just a single run over his two innings of work.
 
Game Two: Utica 16, Keuka 3
 
The Pioneers abruptly dispelled any offensive struggles early on in game two, using a duo of seven-run innings to bounce back in a major way against the Wolves. Utica and Keuka found themselves in a 1-1 deadlock after three innings, however, it was all Pioneers after this point as the team plated seven runs in consecutive frames during the fourth and fifth innings. The used these crooked numbers to seal a 16-3 victory against Keuka in the second matchup.
 
The visitors were paced by the three-headed monster of Mazovec, Ty Montrose (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), and Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor) who all combined for eight hits and 10 RBIs. Mazovec supplied the scoring power, crossing home four times in the contest while also grabbing three hits. He was matched for the team-high in hits by Montrose, who managed yet another all star performance with three hits and an outrageous five RBIs. Not far behind in the RBI department was Duval, who cashed in four runs of his own, also adding a pair of hits to top it all off.
 
The team as a whole finished with 12 hits and 15 RBI, a complete turnaround from the previous battle. Incredibly, the Pioneers also stacked up nine extra base hits, with Mazovec, Montrose, and Berger all achieving two doubles, while Duval and Mike Rockwell (Liverpool, NY/Cicero) added a double each. Duval also stretched out a triple in the game, topping off the dynamic knocks for the team.
 
The duo of Dean Ennis (Middle Island, NY/Longwood) and Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) got the job done on the mound in this second outing, with the former allowing just one earned run and only three hits, while the latter gave up two runs and matched his running mate with only three hits given up. Ennis and Czternastek combined to give up just three runs in the second matchup, paving the way for the Pioneers to achieve bounce-back glory.
 
Top Performers of the Day: Mazovec and Montrose both logged four total hits over the two games, with the former recording an on base percentage of .778 in his nine plate appearances thanks to three additional walks and the latter knocking in a team high five RBIs.
 
Duval and Berger each finished with four RBIs in total on Tuesday. Although Berger also managed a .778 on base percentage thanks to a 3-for-5 day to go along with four walks.
 
The Pioneers moved to 14-13-1 with the Tuesday split, boosting their point total to 18 and establishing a four point gap between themselves and the duo of Houghton and SUNY Poly in the five and six slot of the Empire 8 standings. They'll battle Keuka in a rubber match tomorrow, making their long-awaited return to Utica after 10-straight road outings. That key clash starts at 3:00 PM tomorrow afternoon.