PUNTA GORDA, Fla. -- The SUNY Canton baseball team used a nine-run seventh inning to erase a three-run deficit as the Roos posted an 11-5 victory over Bridgewater State University on Monday afternoon at the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Punta Gorda, Florida.
The Roos improve to 1-3 on the season as they picked up their first win of the 2019 campaign. The Bears fall to 0-3 with the setback.
SUNY Canton plated a run in the top of the third inning on a sacrifice fly and another in the fourth on an RBI groundout to take a 2-0 lead.
Bridgewater State pushed across five runs in the bottom of the sixth as the Bears batted around in the inning to jump ahead 5-2. Senior Dominic Precopio (Framingham, Mass.) doubled to open the frame and scored on an RBI single by classmate Kevin Bresciani (Hopedale, Mass.). Bresciani would eventually come around to score the tying run on a failed pick-off attempt. A two-run single off the bat of junior Lewis Robinson (New Britain, Conn.) gave the Bears a 4-2 lead. Precopio, batting for the second time in the inning, walked with the bases loaded to cap off the scoring.
Canton answered in the top of the seventh as the Roos sent 13 batters to plate and banged out eight hits in the inning. Back-to-back RBI singles by seniors Fernando Santana (Hackensack, N.J.) and Brandon Bautista (Bronx, N.Y.) followed by a BSU throwing error knotted the score at 5-5. Freshman Jesus Garcia (Waterbury, Conn.) and seniors Collin Lynk (Hudson, N.Y.) and Edward Malinoski (Evans Mills, N.Y.) connected for three consecutive two-baggers to give Canton a 10-5 lead. Junior Jesse Iacovetta (Queens, N.Y.) put the finishing touches on the nine-run uprising with an run-scoring single.
Iacovetta (2-6, R, RBI), Fernando Santana (2-4, R, 2 RBI), Bautista (2-4, R, RBI), Garcia (2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI), Lynk (2-4, 2 RBI), senior Brian Santana (Queens, N.Y.) and senior Ricky Arias (Queens, N.Y.) finished with two hits apiece to highlight the Roos' 16-hit attack. Brian Santana went 2-for-5 with a run scored, while Arias singled twice and scored a run in two at bats off the bench.
Senior Jordan Miller (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) picked up the win out of the bullpen for Canton. Miller (1-0) tossed 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. He allowed three hits, walked one and fanned two. Sophomore starter Collin Trathen (Heuvelton, N.Y.) gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings of work and struck out seven.
BSU senior Greg Cavaioli (Leominster, Mass.) worked the first five innings for the Bears but did not factor in the decision. Cavaioli allowed two runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Freshman Tyler Dasilva-Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.) was tagged with the loss in relief for the Bears.
Robinson went 3-for-6 with a stolen base, a run and two RBI to lead the BSU offense, while senior Gavin Sparkman (Beverly, Mass.) reached safely three times in five plate appearances with a pair of singles and a hit by pitch. The Bears stole six bases in the game.
The Florida trip continues for Bridgewater State on Tuesday evening when the Bears take on The College of Wooster at six. Wooster is ranked first in both the NCBWA/D3baseball.com and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason polls.