SALAMANCA, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team used two strong starts from Kolby Mordecki (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and Chris Santic (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) to pick a doubleheader State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) sweep over Fredonia. Graduate student Conner Gonzalski (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) also homered and doubled twice on the day, achieving the 100-hit mark for his career.

Mordecki earned the win in game one allowing just one run and striking out six over seven innings of work, while Santic also went seven innings striking out 10 batters for a new career high. Gonzalski homered and doubled in game one to drive in two runs, with his double in the first inning of game two giving him his 100^th career hit. Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) had two hits in each game, with a double and triple in the game two win.

Plattsburgh State improves to 15-7 (4-4 SUNYAC) while Fredonia falls to 9-14 (3-8 SUNAYC). The two teams will meet in the series finale tomorrow, Sunday, April 14 at noon at Gowanda High School.

Game One: Plattsburgh 5, Fredonia 2

Mordecki's strong effort allowed the Cards to slowly build their lead and pick up the win in game one over the Blue Devils. Gonzalski also turned in a big game with two RBI to go with a double and home run, while Kyle Cremin (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) drove in two runs as well for Plattsburgh.

Mike Rasquin (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) had two hits for Plattsburgh, as well as an RBI while Kornblau also had two base hits. Austin Caldwell (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) entered for an injury and doubled in his only plate appearance for Plattsburgh, and Dylan Bass (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) pitched two innings and allowed just one run while striking out three.
Plattsburgh State broke open the scoring for the day in the second inning, as Rasquin doubled to left to bring in a run for the Cards. In the following frame, Gonzalski blasted his first homer of the and sixth of his career, putting Plattsburgh up 2-0.

The two-run advantage held until the sixth inning, despite the Cards threatening in each inning. After an error began the inning, a single and sacrifice bunt put two runners in scoring position for Plattsburgh. Following a strikeout, Cremin roped a base hit, scoring two runs and giving the Cards a big cushion.

After seven scoreless, Mordecki began the eighth but walked the first batter of the inning, giving way to Bass to finish the day. A HBP, RBI double, and RBI groundout followed, putting the Blue Devils down just 4-2, but Bass settled in to strike out the next two batters and end the threat.

Gonzalski helped the Cards pick up an insurance run in the ninth, as he followed Caldwell's double with a double as well, putting Plattsburgh up 5-2.

A leadoff double looked to be a promising start for Fredonia in the ninth, but Bass once again settled back in, picking up outs against the next three batters, giving the Cards the big game-one win.
Morgan Zientara took the loss, going 3.2 innings allowing two runs and giving up seven hits, while Garrett Stuckey doubled and singled on the day.

Game Two: Plattsburgh 7, Fredonia 6

Plattsburgh State fought off a late Fredonia comeback in game two to hold on for the 7-6 win and doubleheader sweep over the Blue Devils. Santic scattered seven hits over seven innings, as his 10 strikeouts surpassed his previous career-best mark of eight, helping him to earn his fourth win of the season.

Kornblau finished 2-5 with a double, a triple, and a steal of home, while Jack Defayette (Rotterdam, N.Y./Schalmont) singled three times and scored twice. Aidan Diltz (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly and RBI double, while Rasquin drove in a run with a single in the eighth.

Plattsburgh State got on the scoreboard early and dramatically, as Kornblau stole home to put the Cards up 1-0 early in the first. Gonzalski followed with his 100^th career hit, to put runners on second and third, and Diltz followed with a sacrifice fly to put his team up 2-0.

After a run from Fredonia in the third, the game remained 2-1 until the seventh as Santic and Peyton Ahlstrom were both cruising through the middle innings. In the seventh, Plattsburgh was able to add one more run off Alhstrom as Defayette singled to start the frame and Joey Di Rocco (Congers, N.Y./Clarkstown South) doubled to put two runners in scoring position. An error in the following at-bat allowed Defayette to score, putting the Cards up 3-1.

After another scoreless frame from Santic, the Cards added to their lead as a leadoff walk from Gonzalski turned into a run with Diltz doubling directly after to put Plattsburgh up 4-1. Diltz later scored on a Rasquin single, and after a pitching change, back-to-back passed balls brought in two more runs to put the Cardinals up 7-1.

Santic began the eighth but was unable to record an out, allowing the first three batters to reach, as an RBI single knocked him out of the game. Logan Avin (Honolulu, Hawaii/Waterford (Conn.)) entered and struck out two batters, allowed an RBI single, and then struck out the final batter of the inning to end the threat with the Cards now up 7-3.

After Plattsburgh went down in order in the ninth, the Blue Devils were able to get a rally going off of Bass, as a wild pitch scored a run and two HBPs allowed two runners to be on for Max Koller who doubled home both Blue Devils to put his team down one run and put him on second base as the tying run. After a single, Bass picked up a huge strikeout, giving the Cards the win over the Blue Devils and the huge doubleheader sweep to pick up the series win.

Ahlstrom took the loss going six innings, striking out six and giving up just two earned runs. Koller doubled twice and drove in two runs while Tyler Curtis had two hits and an RBI.