PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team handled business in their opener, taking down Clarkson for the second time this season with a 7-1 win over the Golden Knights. Plattsburgh held them to just one run with six different pitchers while Nick Cergol (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) reached base four times and drove in two runs.

Chris Santic (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) earned the win on the mound despite giving up the only run in two innings of work to move to 3-2 on the season. Kolby Mordecki (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) started the game with a scoreless inning, with Santic following and Andrew Veit (Yaphank, N.Y./Bellport) pitched after, working two scoreless innings striking out three. Jack Castillo (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) tossed two scoreless innings as well while Logan Avin (Honolulu, Hawaii/Waterford (Conn.)) and Dylan Bass (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) each recorded scoreless innings.

The Cardinals moved to 13-7 on the season and head to Fredonia this weekend, where they will begin with a single game on Saturday, April 13 at 3 p.m. Clarkson falls to 7-13 and head to Rochester this weekend for a matchup with the University of Rochester.

After two innings of scoreless baseball, the Golden Knights opened up the scoring with an Aidan Kuefner double that scored a run and put runners on second and third. The next batter flew out to right for what looked like an easy sacrifice fly, but Conner Gonzalski (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) gunned down the runner at the plate to end the inning.

In the bottom half of the third, the Cards scored three runs despite just one hit, as they took advantage of three Clarkson errors. After two errors began the frame, Kyle Cremin (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) singled to right to load the bases with no outs. In the next at-bat, a ground ball to third was thrown to home for what looked like an easy force play, but the umpire ruled that the catcher's foot was never on the base, allowing Plattsburgh to score. Aidan Diltz (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) followed with an RBI fielder's choice, and Joey Di Rocco (Congers, N.Y./Clarkstown South) brought in a run with a sacrifice fly to put Plattsburgh up 3-1.

Plattsburgh State added three more runs in the fourth inning, as a walk, hit by pitch, sac bunt and an intentional walk to Cremin loaded the bases for the Cards. Gonzalksi was then hit by the next pitch, forcing a run home. After a strikeout, Cergol roped a single to center field, scoring two runs to give Plattsburgh a 6-1 lead.  

The score held until the seventh, as Veit and Castillo cruised through the Clarkson lineup. Gonzalski scored a run in the bottom half of the seventh inning as Cergol attempted to steal second with his teammate on third and was caught. However, Gonzalski scored as the throwdown allowed the graduate student to advance home.

Avin tossed a scoreless eighth inning for Plattsburgh and Bass went 1-2-3 to end the game and give the Cards a 7-1 win.

Carter Gould took the loss with three innings of work allowing three unearned runs while Jack Millich and Will Roda each had two hits for Clarkson.