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UTICA University Pioneers

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Micah Fiorello Action Shot
6
UTICA UTICA 7-5
8
Winner SUNY POLY WILDCATS 5-5
UTICA UTICA
7-5
6
Final
8
SUNY POLY WILDCATS
5-5
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UTICA UTICA 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 1 6 8 3
SUNY POLY WILDCATS 2 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 X 8 7 2

W: Carter Stewart (2-1) L: Barrett, Luke (0-1) S: Trevor French (2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Utica Baseball Drops Conference Game One Against SUNY Poly

UTICA, NY - The Utica Baseball team dropped its first Empire 8 conference game of 2026 against SUNY Poly by a final score of 8-6. The Pioneers had the tying run at the plate in the top of the ninth, but couldn't make the comeback. 

Originally beginning play on Saturday, March 21st, the Pioneers fell behind 4-1 in the bottom of the second inning before the umpires called a rain delay. Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) got the start for the Pioneers, but struggled to find his rhythm due to the slippery surfaces. 

When the game was resumed on March 24th at Accelerate Sports Complex, Michael Flint (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) got the pseudo-start for the Pioneers. He battled into his fourth inning of work, ultimately going 3.1 innings, giving up four hits and four runs, but striking out two. Luke Barrett (Mansfield, NJ/Warren Hills Regional) finished out the final three innings of play and blanked the Wildcat bats, striking out three along the way.

Matthew Paolucci (Toronto, Ontario/Silverthorn Collegiate Institute) and Lance Beger led the way offensively for the Pioneers, both going 2-5 with two runs batted in. Ryan Smith (Wappingers Falls, NY/Beacon High School) also had two hits and drove in one run.

The Pioneers fell into a deep hole to start the second day of the game, trailing 7-1 after a two-out, two-strike, bases-clearing third inning triple scored three for Poly. Utica clawed back, scoring one in the fourth inning and three in the fifth, and getting the aforementioned tying run at the plate in the ninth, but ultimately falling short.

The Pioneers began game two against the Wildcats, which went to the 11th inning tied at 11-11, before postponing the game due to waning sunlight. That game (and its recap in entirety) will resume sometime next week. Be sure to keep up with the Utica University Athletics social media pages for any updates!

Utica goes right back to work, welcoming SUNY Canton for a midweek doubleheader at Murnane Field on Wednesday, March 25th. Links to the stream and live stats can be found on the Utica Baseball schedule page here: https://uticapioneers.com/sports/baseball/schedule 
 
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