KEUKA PARK, N.Y. — The Keuka College Baseball team came back from an opening game defeat, to top the Houghton College Highlanders and split the Empire 8 Conference doubleheader on Monday afternoon at Kuhl Field.

Keuka College (5-9, 5-9 E8) dropped the opener to the Highlanders 12-6, but came back to defeat Houghton 15-6 in the nightcap.

Houghton College 12 at Keuka College 6 – Game 1

The bats came to play on Monday as Houghton jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Wolves answered in the bottom of the inning. Extra-base hits by Nick Brown (Liverpool, N.Y. / Liverpool) and Ryan Seales (Saratoga Springs, N.Y. / Saratoga Springs) were cashed on an RBI single by Tyler Broderick (State College, Pa. / Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy). Jimmy Griffin (Syracuse, N.Y. / East Syracuse-Minoa) would later score Broderick and Matt Vaccaro (Fayetteville, N.Y. / Fayetteville-Manlius) plated a pair with a double as the Wolves took a 5-3 lead in an eventful first inning.

Houghton would get two back in the top of the second to tie the game at 5-5. Broderick had his second RBI single of the game in the bottom of the inning to give the Wolves a 6-5 lead. That held until the fourth when Houghton scored two runs to regain the lead, 7-6.

The Highlanders would add to their lead win an insurance run in the sixth. Houghton then scored four more in the seventh and hold the Wolves without a run as they defeated Keuka College 12-6 in game one of the doubleheader.

Lead Wolf: Tyler Broderick accounted for two-thirds of Keuka College's runs. The graduate student drove in three runs on a pair of hits and scored one himself in game one.

Keuka College 15 vs. Houghton College 6 – Game 2

The Wolves struck first in game two. In the bottom of the second, the Wolves used a single and two walks to load the bases. Maxwell Yale (Hemlock, N.Y. / Honeoye) worked a walk as well to force in the first run of the game. Nick Brown then cleared the bases as the Wolves took a 4-0 lead over the Highlanders.

The Highlanders got one back in the top of the third and then threatened in the sixth. Houghton loaded the bases with no outs. The Highlanders would turn that into five runs as they took the lead 6-4.

Keuka College answered right back with back-to-back two-out doubles by Dylan Richards (Johnson City, N.Y. / Johnson City) and Maxwell Yale made it 6-5. A hit batter and a walk would load the bases, then Tyler Broderick would be hit by a pitch to force in a run and tie the game at 6-6.

The Green and Gold then took the lead in the seventh as the go-ahead run came home on a throwing error. Yale then doubled to score a run and give the Wolves an 8-6 lead. Keuka College then got to the Highlander bullpen in the eighth inning and plated seven insurance runs on the way to the 15-6 victory.

Lead Wolf: The top of the order provided the damage for the Wolves as the 1-4 batters combined for eight hits and 11 runs batted in. Leading the way was Maxwell Yale with a pair of doubles and a single. He drove in three runs and scored three himself. Yale also added a pair of walks in game two to be on-base five times.

KC Notes:

• Keuka College is now 3-6 all-time against Houghton College with all three wins coming at Kuhl Field
• Game two was the most runs the Wolves have scored against the Highlanders, besting the previous high of nine in 2017
• 15 runs scored tied the high-water mark for the Keuka College offense this season
• K.C. Howe (Mount Morris, N.Y. / Mount Morris) got the start in game one. The graduate student struck out three, giving him 86 in his career, and moved into seventh on the career K list at Keuka College
• Maxwell Yale posted a career-high in every offensive category in game two
• Jared Beckley (Windsor, N.Y. / Windsor) pitched the final four innings for the Wolves to earn his first career win. The freshman allowed just four hits, two runs, and struck out two
• The Wolves worked 12 walks in game two, tying for sixth-most in a game in program history and just two walks off the record of 14 set in 2016

Up Next for Keuka College: The Wolves and Highlanders will play the fifth and final game of their regular-season series on Tuesday when Keuka College hosts Houghton College at Kuhl Field for a single, nine-inning game at 3pm.