Houghton, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly baseball team showed resilience and timely execution on Saturday afternoon, rallying late in game one before holding firm in game two to complete a doubleheader sweep of Houghton by scores of 8–6 and 6–4. With the two wins, the Wildcats improve to 10-7 on the season.
GAME ONE:
Houghton struck first in the opener, taking advantage of an early hit batter and a pair of RBI knocks in the bottom of the first to grab a 2–0 lead. The Highlanders added two more in the third, using another hit batter, a run-scoring groundout, and an error to stretch the margin to 4–0.
SUNY Poly was kept quiet through the first five innings, managing just two singles while Houghton's starter kept the Wildcats off the board. Quinn Hill and Derek Menechino each recorded early hits, but the Wildcats were unable to turn those chances into runs.
The breakthrough finally came in the sixth. Johnny Yamin worked a leadoff walk and Hill followed with another free pass to put two aboard. Luke Landis then delivered with an RBI single to center to put SUNY Poly on the board, and Ethan Merone followed with a run-scoring infield single to make it 4–2. Later in the inning, Jackson Mackenzie added another RBI single to bring the Wildcats within one at 4–3.
SUNY Poly threatened again in the seventh after Menechino reached and Chris Baker got aboard on an error, but Houghton turned a key double play to preserve its slim lead.
After the Wildcats stranded two more runners in the eighth, they broke through in dramatic fashion in the ninth.
Menechino opened the inning with a single and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Baker. With two outs, Hill came through with a clutch game-tying RBI triple to right field, bringing home Menechino and knotting the score at 4–4. Landis followed immediately with an RBI single to put SUNY Poly in front for the first time all game.
The Wildcats kept pouring it on from there. Ryan Pelton added an RBI single after Landis moved up on a wild pitch, and Mackenzie capped the rally with a two-run double to center, giving SUNY Poly a commanding 8–4 advantage after a five-run frame.
Houghton made one final push in the bottom of the ninth, scoring twice on a run-scoring groundout and an RBI double, but SUNY Poly's pitching staff shut the door with back-to-back strikeouts to seal the comeback victory.
GAME TWO:
The Wildcats wasted no time carrying their momentum into game two.
After two quick outs in the top of the first, Landis launched a solo home run to left field to give SUNY Poly an immediate 1–0 lead.
The Wildcats added on in the second when Will Orlando drew a walk and eventually scored on an RBI double from Menechino, making it 2–0.
SUNY Poly extended the lead again in the third. Yamin worked a leadoff walk and Hill followed with a single before Landis struck again, ripping a two-run double to right to plate both runners and push the lead to 4–0.
The Wildcats continued to build in the fifth. Landis singled and later came around to score on an RBI base hit from John Leonard, stretching the lead to 5–0.
Houghton finally broke through in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of runs to cut into the deficit, then added two more in the sixth on a two-run double from Qingyang Feng to make it a one-run game at 5–4.
With the momentum beginning to shift, SUNY Poly answered with an important insurance run in the eighth. Zach Place singled to start the inning, and after a sacrifice bunt and a pair of hit batters loaded the bases, Landis came through once again with an RBI single to right, extending the lead to 6–4.
From there, the Wildcats closed things out on the mound. Houghton put runners aboard in both the eighth and ninth innings, but SUNY Poly's defense and bullpen held firm. In the bottom of the ninth, the Highlanders brought the tying run to second and the go-ahead run to the plate, but the Wildcats recorded the final two outs to secure the sweep.
