FLEMINGTON, N.J. – The Yeshiva University baseball team lost a pair of games to Utica University, 8-3 and 27-0, at Diamond Nation on Sunday afternoon. The Macs (0-6) were tied with the Pioneers (2-1) entering the final inning of game one, but Utica scored five runs in the top half of the seventh to pull away and earn the victory.

In the opening contest, the Maccabees were led by rookie phenom Jacob Shakin on the mound as he struck out seven hitters, gave up just three runs on four hits, in five innings pitched.

The Pioneers grabbed an early 1-0 advantage in the top of the second inning. The Maccabees threatened in the home half of the third, as sophomore infielder Aden Frohlich reached with a leadoff single. A couple of batters later, rookie first baseman Avi Cohen earned a base on balls. YU ended up having runners on second and third, with two outs, but could not bring the tying run across.

Utica managed to inflate its lead to 3-0 in the top of the fourth, thanks to a two-run triple off the bat of senior first baseman Jack Bono.

Yeshiva would not go down without a fight, as senior outfielder Eliyahu Solomon scorched a ground-rule double to center with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Cohen followed with a single to send Solomon to third. Cohen eventually stole second. Then, the Macs displayed great patience at the plate by working four walks over the course of the next five batters to tie it up at three runs apiece. Junior third baseman Sammy Greenberg drew the first walk to load the bases. Then, Shakin earned a pass to first base which forced in Solomon for YU's first run of the contest. Junior shortstop Joshua Mintz earned a walk to allow Cohen to cross home plate to pull the Blue and White to within one.

A pitching change and a strikeout later, senior right fielder Benjamin Brener stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded, two outs, and Yeshiva down by a run. He battled back from 0-2 down in the count to earn the base on balls and propel Greenberg to score the tying run. The game would be knotted up, 3-3, after five innings of play.

Mintz relieved Shakin in the top of the sixth. With runners on the corners, and two outs, Mintz got the opposing batter to strike out looking to preserve the 3-3 tie.

With the score still even in the top of the seventh, Utica took advantage of a costly Yeshiva error and put up five runs in the frame to take a commanding 8-3 benefit. Bono once again provided the highlight of the inning with a two-run single that helped put the game out of reach for Yeshiva. The Pioneers went on to win the contest by a score of 8-3.

For the Maccabees, sophomore catcher Mendy Kanofsky reached base with a single during the game. Brener also singled and drew a walk.

On the mound, freshman pitcher Dylan Sullivan got the win in relief for the Pioneers, striking out four batters, giving up zero hits, and just one walk in 2.2 shutout innings.

Game two was all Utica, as the Pioneers scored eight runs in the second inning and never looked back. Senior catcher Nathan Yants drilled a two-run homer during Utica's rout.

For the Maccabees, Greenberg, Kanofsky, Shakin, and freshman second baseman Nathaniel Dery each reached base with a single. Frohlich and senior outfielder David Price both worked a walk, while Cohen stole a base.

Another rookie pitcher came up big for Utica, as Kooper Knabe earned the complete-game victory for the Pioneers, striking out eight batters and just giving up four hits in six shutout innings.

Yeshiva will host The City College of New York, in a doubleheader at Silver Lake Park, on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for noon.