BROCKPORT, NY - The Utica University Baseball Team battled bright and early on Thursday morning for a spot in this weekend's double-elimination portion of the Empire 8 Tournament. Facing off against Houghton University in the wild card round, the Pioneers battled against some early adversity, hanging around but eventually falling in chilly conditions to a hot Highlander squad as the season came to a close.
 
Houghton hopped out to a quick 5-0 lead thanks to some Pioneer miscues, however, the orange and blue bounced back in the bottom of the third, getting three runs back and nearly blowing the game open as they left the bases loaded. Down 5-3, Utica looked to climb back into the game, but Houghton used a mix of aggressive play and solid contact to speed ahead 12-3. The Pioneers would plate three runs in the bottom half of that same inning, cutting the deficit to 12-6 midway through the game. Their offensive energy ran out over the next few innings, as a Highlander pitching change paid dividends with the Pioneers losing their momentum and getting shut out over the following three frames. The game eventually came to a close with Houghton grabbing a 23-9 win over the Pioneers to advance to the final four of the Empire 8 Baseball Tournament.
 
The Pioneers produced lots of base runners in the game, using eight hits and nine walks to secure several chances to score. The Pioneers' two biggest obstacles in Thursday's throwdown were strikeouts and errors, as the team struck out 17 times and had seven errors in the contest. Despite this, the Pioneers still managed to plate nine runs in the game.
 
Ty Montrose (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) had a multi-hit outing, finishing out his rookie season on a high note as he kept up his success at the plate. The remaining six hits were gathered by six different Pioneer batters, with the team spreading the wealth well.
 
The Pioneers' leadoff man Justin Mazovec (Lake Grove, NY/Centereach) grabbed a team-high two RBIs in the action, also launching a momentum-flipping RBI double in the fourth inning.
 
Mazovec also grabbed two runs in the tilt, tying for the team-lead in that category with Tanner Warren (Mohawk, NY/Central Valley Academy) and Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro).
 
On the mound, Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) weathered an early Highlander storm to stay aboard for three innings of work. The Pioneers' preferred starter put away four batters via strikeout.
 
Also packing the special K was Nicholas Greene (Rome, NY/Central Valley Academy), who finished out his excellent career with three strikeouts in just 1.1 innings of work.
 
The Pioneers saw their season come to an end with the loss, finishing with a final record of 18-16-1 after another successful year that saw them achieve a high ranking in the final Empire 8 Standings.