POTSDAM, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State Cardinals won their third straight game at Jack Phillips Stadium in Potsdam, New York, defeating Clarkson 12-10 in a strong road win on Tuesday over the Golden Knights. The Cards jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the fifth and held on to win to snap a three-game losing skid.
Mike Rasquin (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) had a strong game in the leadoff spot, collecting three hits while scoring and driving in two runs. First-year Frankie Kowal (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Lakeland) had three hits and two RBI while both Joey Di Rocco (Congers, N.Y./Clarkstown South) and Aidan Diltz (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) each had two hits and two RBI. The pair kept their averages over .400 with Diltz leading the team batting .410 and Di Rocco currently hitting .404.
Dylan Bass (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) earned his third win of the season with 5.1 innings of work on the mound, giving up four earned runs while striking out two. Nick Goldberg (Commack, N.Y./Commack) earned his first career save, going 3.2 innings and striking out three batters.
Plattsburgh State moves to 12-7 and next open a home conference series against Oswego State, as they commence a three-game series beginning on Friday, April 5 at 3 p.m. Clarkson falls to 7-9 on the year with the loss and next begins a league series with Rochester beginning on Friday, April 5.
The Cards used a three-run first to give themselves an early advantage and a lead they would hold the entire game. Kyle Cremin (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) brought in the first run, scoring Rasquin with an RBI groundout after Rasquin and Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) both singled to start the game. Diltz singled home Kornblau two batters later and then a run came around to score on a failed pickoff attempt. In the third, the Cards added a run off a Diltz RBI fielder's choice to put the team up 4-0.
Clarkson added three runs in the third, as Aidan Kuefner singled home two runs and scored on a double.
Plattsburgh responded with three runs of their own to go back up four runs in the fourth, as Rasquin singled home Di Rocco after a walk and one-out single put two on for the centerfielder. A wild pitch brought home another run and Kornblau brought home Rasquin in the same at bat with a sacrifice fly.
The 7-3 lead turned to a 10-3 lead in the fifth as Di Rocco laced his team-leading sixth double to score two runs and Kowal singled him home directly after.
After going five innings, Bass went out having just allowed two earned runs but put two batters on base before exiting with one out in the sixth. Goldberg got the second out of the inning but a wild pitch and single up the middle scored both of the batters Bass put on, as the runs were charged to the Plattsburgh starter.
The Cardinals got the runs immediately back in the seventh beginning with Zach Rainville (Saranac, N.Y./Saranac) pinch ran, stole second, and advanced to third on a Di Rocco single. Kowal followed with a single to left center to score Rainville and after a sacrifice bunt, Rasquin brought home Di Rocco with a sacrifice fly to center.
In the bottom of the seventh, a couple of infield hits set up a big inning for Clarkson, as Quinn Maslowksi doubled home three runs and then came around to score on a two-run homer by Beau Vardion, putting the Golden Knights down just two runs.
With a close game, the Cards weren't able to add runs in the eighth and ninth, leaving the game in the hands of Goldberg, who settled in the final two frames, going 1-2-3 in the eighth and then working around a two-out single to get Vardion to fly out to center to end the game.
Tommy DiFranco was charged with his second loss of the year, giving up four runs in three innings of work, while Joe Figliolino had three hits and two doubles and Kuefner drove in four runs on three hits.