Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team won the opening game, 4-2, and lost the second game, 7-3, in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) doubleheader against SUNY Oneonta at Damaschke Field on Saturday. The Cardinals go to 8-19 overall and 2-13 in the league, while the Red Dragons are 14-15 and 5-9. Plattsburgh State is in the middle of a six-game road slate.
In the opener, Plattsburgh State freshman Stephen Bryant (Center Moriches, N.Y./Center Moriches) went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI singles, while classmate Santino Ycaza (Mastic, N.Y./Brentwood Sonderling) went 2-for-2. Senior Ray Flynn (Bethpage, N.Y./Plainedge) had a pinch-hit RBI double and freshman Kentaro Mori (Tokyo, Japan/Joto) provided a sacrifice fly. Juniors Noah Clark (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East/Caldwell) and Joe Deland (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem East/Suffolk County CC) both walked and scored a run and sophomore Matt Fox (Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) stole two bases and scored a run. Sophomore Patrick Bryant (Center Moriches, N.Y./Center Moriches/Hofstra) singled and was the winning pitcher after allowing two runs on six hits with five strikeouts in a seven-inning complete game.
Oneonta senior Michael Grudzinski went 2-for-3 and junior Dalton Beatty picked up an RBI single. Sophomore Mickey Mullins doubled and scored a run and senior Sean Mullins singled and put down a sacrifice bunt. Junior Nicholas Ponesse was tagged with the loss after surrendering four runs on six hits in 6.2 innings.
The hosts got on the board first as junior Brandon Torres came home from third on a Cardinal pickoff at first base. Plattsburgh State then had just two base runners over the next three frames before equalizing in the fifth on Stephen Bryant's two-out RBI single up the middle. The visitors went ahead by a run in the sixth as Fox swiped second and third bases and then touching home on Mori's sac fly to center field.
Oneonta tied up the score at 2-2 in the home half of the sixth on Beatty's one-out RBI single. Bitten yesterday by allowing a late go-ahead run, Plattsburgh State flipped the script and plated two runs in the top of the seventh to take a 4-2 edge. Clark walked and went to second on senior T.J. Montalbano's (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West/Jefferson CC) sac bunt before Flynn laced a pinch-hit RBI double. Flynn would go to third on a wild pitch and Stephen Bryant singled to right field for another run. The Red Dragons saw a runner reach second base in the seventh but Patrick Bryant picked off the runner to end the game.
In game two, Plattsburgh State's Clark went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, a walk and two runs scored and Montalbano dropped in an RBI single. Stephen Bryant singled and scored a run and sophomore Jon Craft (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) singled and walked twice. Fox took the loss in 6.2 innings of work.
Oneonta junior Dalton Beatty went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, a double, a sacrifice fly and a stolen base and classmate went 2-for-3 with a double and a sacrifice fly. Senior Sage Cheren picked up two hits and a walk and Mickey Mullins had an RBI single and two walks. Junior James McCarty earned the win by yielding just three runs – one earned – on four hits and five strikeouts in seven innings.
Plattsburgh State scored twice with two outs in the first inning on Clark's RBI double and Montalbano's RBI single. Beatty then doubled home a run in the next half inning to make the score 2-1. Oneonta scored once in the second and twice in the third to jump out to 4-2 lead. The Cardinals were held scoreless over the next two frames before Clark came home on a wild pitch to trim the deficit to 4-3.
Both sides stranded a base runner in the seventh before Oneonta plated three runs for a 7-3 lead thanks to sacrifice flies by Beatty and Geloso. The Cardinals singled with one out in the ninth, but the Red Dragons induced a game-ending double play to seal the victory.
Plattsburgh State continues its road swing by visiting Norwich University on Tuesday for a 3 p.m. non-conference doubleheader.