OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team used another strong offensive effort to pick up their sixth win in their last seven games, defeating Old Westbury 14-12. Joey Di Rocco (Congers, N.Y./Clarkstown North) led the Cardinal offense on the day as he was 4-5 with three RBI and tied a single-game program record with three doubles.
Aidan Diltz (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) had two hits for Plattsburgh, bringing in three runs and scoring three times. Nick Cergol (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) and Adam Wein (North Rockland, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep) each drove in three runs, while Conner Gonzalksi (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) was on base four times and Jack DeFayette (Rotterdam, N.Y./Schalmont) had two hits.
Tyler Kohn (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North) made his first career start on the mound and was excellent for the Cards, going four scoreless innings and striking out four while allowing just two hits and one walk. Nick Goldberg (Commack, N.Y./Commack) went 2.2 innings in relief to earn the win, giving up no earned runs, and Eric Agan (Burnt Hills, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) picked up the save recording the final out of the game.
The Cards improve to 7-3 on the season while Old Westbury falls to 5-6. The teams will play twice tomorrow, March 20, beginning at 11 a.m.
Plattsburgh State scored early and often in this one, taking a 7-0 lead before the bottom of the fourth inning. Wein brought in the first run of the game with an RBI fielder's choice in the second, giving the Cards a lead, they would not relinquish. Di Rocco tallied his first RBI of the game in the following inning, singling home Gonzalski to put Plattsburgh ahead 2-0.
In the fourth, the Cards put up five runs on four hits, as an error prolonged the inning and allowed the team to score five unearned runs. Diltz brought in two runs with a single to right and Di Rocco followed with a two-run double to put the Cards up 6-0. After a pitching change, Cergol put the team up 7-0, doubling to right to score Di Rocco. A sacrifice fly in the fifth gave Plattsburgh an 8-0 heading into the bottom half of the inning.
Old Westbury did not go quietly, however, as Kohn exited, and the Panther offense greeted the Cardinal bullpen with five runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to go down by just a run. With the bases loaded in the sixth and two outs, Goldberg entered and picked up a huge out to end the inning and keep Plattsburgh in front.
Leading by just a run, the Cardinals gave themselves some breathing room back, scoring thrice in the seventh and then thrice in the ninth. Diltz picked an RBI on a ground out in the seventh and both Cergol and Wein had RBI walks in the inning. In the ninth, Cergol and Wein had RBIs against, as Cergol drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Wein singled home Di Rocco. Gonzalski brought in the final run for Plattsburgh with an RBI walk, putting the Cards up 14-7 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
After strong work from Goldberg, a costly error kept Old Westbury hitting and allowed them to eventually score five runs and bring the tying run to the plate in the inning. With two outs, Agan entered and was able to induce a game-ending groundout, giving the Cards the win.
Kenneth Dow took the loss for Old Westbury, while Jaime Barrios had three hits and three RBI for the Panther offense.