WINTER HAVEN, FL - The Utica Baseball team played its first game of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on March 7th against Concordia College of Minnesota and took a loss by a score of 4-3. The Pioneers lost in walk off fashion as the Cobbers scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The game was a complete pitching duel, as Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) dealt against the Cobbers' Brayden Wolfgram for seven solid innings before turning the ball over to their respective bullpens. Knabe went 6.2 innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs, but striking out nine Cobbers. 

Knabe kept Concordia at bay until the bottom of the fourth, where he gave up a two-run home run. In the fifth inning, Utica answered courtesy of Mike Rockwell (Liverpool, NY/Cicero), as the senior outfielder launched a solo home run deep to left field to bring the Pioneers within one. After being held scoreless for another two innings, it was Rockwell once again, who, after showing a bunt on the first pitch of his at-bat in the seventh inning, sent another towering fly ball over the left field fence, this one a two-run shot to give the Pioneers a 3-2 lead.

Concordia would tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, knocking Knabe out of the game. The Pioneers would turn to Connor Ford (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional), who held the Cobbers at bay until the bottom of the ninth, where, after walking the first batter of the inning, Ford was pulled for Justin Notargiacomo (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa). After a sacrifice bunt and a ground out moved the Concordia runner to third, a hard ground ball to the right side just barely got through the glove of Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's), giving Concordia the walk off victory.

The Pioneers' record goes to 4-1, and they will look to bounce back as they face off with the Washington and Jefferson College Presidents tomorrow night, Sunday, March 8th, at 6:30 PM from Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Florida.