Canandaigua, NY – Grad transfer Pat Elliott had a memorable first game for the Clarkson University Baseball team, driving in four runs with a solo home run in the first and then a three-run walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth as the Golden Knights opened 2024 with an 8-7 victory over St. John Fisher on Wednesday at Finger Lakes Community College.

The Golden Knights opened up with three runs in the bottom half of the first. Joe Pagano reached on a full-count walk to start things off, and he quickly came around on a stand-up triple by Kent Wilson when the grad student laced a ball to deep left-center. Wilson scored on a passed ball, but he would have scored anyway, as grad student transfer Pat Elliott homered in his first Clarkson at bat, clearing the fence in left field to put the Knights up 3-0.

Clarkson's offense went quiet for the next few innings, going hitless through the sixth inning with just one runner (Wilson) reaching on a walk. St. John Fisher chipped away during that stretch, scratching an unearned run off Nicholas Hofacker when Nick Lemire singled through the left side to plate a run in the third. In the fifth, Fisher tied the game with a pair of runs as Ethan Perry doubled down the left field line for one run and an RBI groundout from Dominic Guccia sent another run home. The next inning saw the Cardinals score four more runs. Brian Norsen singled up the middle to score one and Lemire did the same except his hit plated a pair. A sacrifice fly from Guccia made the score 7-3.

Clarkson battled back for two runs in the bottom half of the seventh. Things got rolling on a leadoff walk from Robert Fratangelo, and after a strikeout, three straight hits from James Mason, CJ Cartier, and Joe Pagano pushed two runs across. Joe Figliolino walked to load the bases with two outs, but a fly out to right ended the rally. St. John Fisher threatened in the top of the eighth with a leadoff triple, but Hunter Geisler expertly navigated out of the trouble with two strikeouts and a fly out.

The hold by Geisler and later Carter Gould proved key for the Clarkson win. Down by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Knights were down to their last out after a pair of infield outs. Joe Pagano singled to center, Kent Wilson followed with a single through the right side, and an infield single by Joe Figliolino loaded the bases. That set up for some heroics by Elliott who doubled in all three as Clarkson clinched the win in walk-off fashion.  

Outside of a makeup game from last weekend, the Golden Knights will next face Hamilton College the first weekend of March. Carter Gould picked up the win in relief after tossing a scoreless ninth for the Knights. Joe Pagano was 2-for-4, Kent Wilson went 2-for-4, and Pat Elliott went 2-for-5 with a pair of extra-base hits. Clarkson's pitching staff struck out 10 over nine innings.