Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly baseball team dropped a pair of tightly contested games against Utica University on Wednesday afternoon, falling 12–11 in a 12-inning thriller in game one before coming up just short in a 7–6 decision in game two.
GAME ONE:
Game one featured a back-and-forth battle that extended deep into extra innings. SUNY Poly struck first in the opening frame, capitalizing on an Utica error before Luke Landis delivered an RBI single and John Leonard followed with another run-scoring hit to give the Wildcats a 2–0 lead.
Utica responded with a big second inning, scoring five runs—taking advantage of errors and timely hitting—to jump ahead 5–2. The Wildcats answered immediately in the bottom half, highlighted by a towering grand slam from Maddox Garvey that put SUNY Poly back on top, 7–5.
The Pioneers continued to apply pressure, reclaiming the lead in the third on a three-run homer before adding two more in the fourth to extend their advantage to 10–7. Landis helped keep SUNY Poly within striking distance, launching a solo home run in the fourth, and the Wildcats chipped away further in the fifth when Johnny Yamin delivered a two-run single to tie the game at 10–10.
After Utica edged back in front in the sixth, Landis once again answered with a solo homer in the bottom half, evening the score at 11–11. From there, both pitching staffs settled in, forcing extra innings as neither side could break through despite multiple opportunities.
Utica finally broke the deadlock in the 12th inning with a solo home run, and SUNY Poly was unable to respond in the bottom half, stranding two runners as the Pioneers escaped with a 12–11 victory.
GAME TWO:
In the second game, Utica jumped out to an early lead and held off a late SUNY Poly rally to secure the sweep.
After a scoreless first inning, the Pioneers opened the scoring in the second with a sacrifice fly and added two more in the third on a combination of walks and timely hitting to take a 3–0 advantage. Utica extended the lead to 6–0 in the fourth, using extra-base hits and capitalizing on another Wildcat miscue.
SUNY Poly responded in the bottom of the fourth with a four-run inning to get back into the game. Jackson Mackenzie delivered a two-run single, while Will Orlando added an RBI on a fielder's choice and another run came across on an error to cut the deficit to 6–4.
Utica added an insurance run in the fifth on a solo home run, but the Wildcats continued to chip away. Orlando helped manufacture a run in the sixth, scoring on an error, and in the seventh, Landis came through again with an RBI double to bring SUNY Poly within one at 7–6.
Despite the late push, the Wildcats were unable to complete the comeback. Utica's pitching staff held SUNY Poly scoreless over the final two innings, sealing the 7–6 win.
