UC Loses to Plymouth and Wisconsin-Stout
GAME ONE
Plymouth 5, Utica 4 - Baseball Final
Plymouth State designated hitter Dan Armstrong tallied a walk-off, game-winning, single in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday morning to help the Panthers rally from a 4-2 deficit to defeat Utica College in Fort Myers, Fl. UC (0-4) led 4-2 in the top of the third inning, but the Panthers scored one run in the bottom of the fifth, sixth and ninth innings to come from behind for the one run victory. The Pioneers have now lost two of their first four games of the year by just one run.
Freshman
Matthew DeMartino (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside) went 4-for-4 on the afternoon and tallied one RBI for UC, while
Benjamin Hobaica (Clinton, NY/Clinton),
Tyler Young (Latham, NY/Hudson Valley),
Nick Dunbar (Granville, NY/Granville),
Alec Choleva (Coventry, CT/East Catholic) and Tom Dinnen each registered one hit of their own. Dunbar also recorded an RBI, while Hobaica scored a team-high two runs for UC.
Utica's
Vincent Burillo (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central ) started on the mound for Utica and threw six strong innings, scattering three earned runs.
The Pioneers got on the board first when Hobaica scored from third during a run down between first and second base which involved UC's
Nick Dunbar (Granville, NY/Granville). Dunbar was eventually called out to end the inning, but not before Hobaica crossed home plate.
The Panthers answered with two runs in the next two innings to steal a one run lead right back. The third inning proved to be fruitful for the Pioneers as they tacked on three runs of their own to take a 4-2 advantage. Hobaica scored on an error by the catcher, before Dunbar drove in Young to give UC a 3-2 lead. DeMartino then doubled, scoring Dunbar, to give UC the two run advantage.
Unfortunately for Utica that was the end of their run production and the Panthers (7-2) rallied with three unanswered runs, including the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth to earn their seventh victory of the young season.
Armstong went 4-for-4 on the afternoon for the Panthers, while Dave Tammaro went 2-for-5. Zach Cogswell came on in relief and pitched six scoreless innings for Plymouth.
The Pioneers will turn right back around at 12 p.m. Wednesday to finish a postponed contest that began on Monday against Wisconsin-Stout. The two teams will begin the postponed game in the bottom of the first inning.
GAME TWO
Wisconsin-Stout 9, Utica 6
The Utica College baseball team lost another heartbreaker, 9-6, against the University of Wisconsin-Stout Wednesday afternoon in Fort Myers, Fl. The Pioneers fell behind 3-0 in the third inning, then rallied with five runs in the top of the fourth to take a 5-3 lead, but they could not hang on as the Blue Devils tacked on six more runs in the final four innings to earn the three run victory. The contest was a continuation of a game between the two teams that was postponed due to rain on Monday afternoon.
Vincent Burillo, Nick Dunbar and Alec Choleva each tallied two hits for the Pioneers (0-5). Sophomore catcher Tom Dinnen posted one hit and two RBI’s, while Choleva scored two runs in consecutive innings for the Pioneers. Both of Nick Dunbar’s hits were doubles, while Benjamin Hobaica went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Utica freshman pitcher Anthony Johnson struck out four over the course of four innings, while sophomore Christopher Wotten came on in relief and pitched two full innings, allowing four hits.
Tyler Young scored one run and registered one RBI for the Pioneers. Young is currently batting .500 on the Spring trip (8-for-16) and he also leads the team with three RBIs. Senior Nick Dunbar is batting .444 (8-for-18) and he now has a team-best three doubles. Dunbar and Young both lead the team with five runs scored.
Nick Nalbach led the Blue Devils, going 3-for-3, with four runs scored and one RBI. Santiago Morales went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Charlie Pelzer also went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Stout improved to 5-5 overall on the year.
Kellen Pearson came on in relief for Wisconsin-Stout, earning the save, after scattering just two hits in three innings of work.
The Pioneers return to action on Thursday when they take on Lasell College in a double header at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.