Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ROME, NY – The SUNYIT baseball team swept local rival Utica College during a doubleheader Thursday, as the Wildcats won game one 7-3 and game two 4-1 to extend their winning streak to six games. SUNYIT now stands at 13-9 overall, while the Pioneers fell to 1-14 on the year.
Due to the on-campus construction of both the $20 million field house and the new Wildcat Baseball Field, the contest was held at the Larry DeLutis Field in Rome, NY, which will be the site of all SUNYIT home games this season.
Utica was able to out-hit the Wildcats 9-8 in game one, but left 11 runners on base thanks in part to sophomore
Daniel Wiececk (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain), who pitched himself out of multiple jams during his three innings of relief to keep Utica off the scoreboard. He was also helped by some sensational fielding by his teammates, highlighted by a tremendous diving catch by senior left fielder
Ethan Marr (Roslyn, NY/Roslyn) in the top of the second that ended the inning with two runners on.
The offense helped as well, as the Wildcats put together three multi-run innings in the contest. Junior Michael McCrone (Whitney Point, NY/Hudson Valley CC) led the way by driving in three runs and scoring another, while Devin Frye (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) smashed a two-run double to center field in the third in his only hit of the game.
Junior Anthony Surber (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills) finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three stolen bases, while senior Dan Orza (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) stole two bases and scored a run. Wiecek finished with three strikeouts and recorded the victory.
Adam Bittel and Joe Sportman each had two hits and drove in a run for Utica.
Surber led the way offensively in game two, putting SUNYIT up 1-0 in the first inning on an RBI single and then bringing senior Lance Bull (Hudson Falls, NY/Hudson Falls) home on a sacrifice fly in the second that gave the Wildcats the lead for good. Senior Matt Wanner (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) also scored in the second on a wild pitch that put the Wildcats up 2-1 after Nick Dunbar had driven in a run for Utica on a single to left field in the top of the inning.
An insurance run would come in the fifth for SUNYIT when sophomore John LeClair (Mohawk, NY/Cortland State) scored on two consecutive wild pitches after reaching second on a double to center field. Senior David Golembiowski (Barneveld, NY/Holland Patent) would then register a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth with two strikeouts and a forced ground out before junior Anthony Osorio (Amsterdam, NY/Fulton-Montgomery CC) finished off Utica in the seventh to record his second save of the season.
LeClair finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Junior pitcher Chandler Evans (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) gave up one unearned run on three hits and had three strikeouts to register the victory.
The Wildcats will be back in action this Saturday when they host NEAC rival Penn State Abington for a doubleheader. Game one is scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm.
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