St. Lawrence Drops Two Straight To Be Cut From Liberty Playoffs

Attempting to steal second base, SUNY Canton’s Chris Jones gets tagged out by Utica’s Benjamin Hobaica (17). The Roos, who ended the season 13-23, got a come-from behind 4-2 victory over Utica College in the second game of a twinbill. The Pioneers won the first game 6-1.   Game Gallery

SUNY Canton pitcher Michael Zelyez (Brasher Falls, NY) delivers a pitch to the plate while a Utica runner with a Utica runner at third base.  (Eric Foote photos)

May 1: Senior Gerardo Torres (Theresa, N.Y.) drove in the go-ahead run and sophomore Travis Legacy (Malone, N.Y.) recorded his team-leading fifth win leading the SUNY Canton baseball team to a come-from behind 4-2 victory over Utica College in the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday.  The Pioneers won the first game 6-1. The Roos, who end the season 13-23, fell behind 2-0 but rallied to tie the time game with one run in the fourth inning off a double by Torres down the left field line, and another run in the fifth inning off a Utica error.  In the bottom of the sixth, freshman Eddy Morel (Lake Worth, Fla.) drew a one-out walk, and then came all the way around to score the game-winning run when Torres ripped his team-leading third triple of the year to deep centerfield.  Torres then crossed home plate for an insurance run after an errant throw from the outfield went out of play. The Pioneers kept battling and put two runners on in the top of the seventh off two straight walks from Legacy.  But the sophomore didn’t let that rattle him as he got the next batter to fly out to left field, and then struck out the final batter swinging to end the game.  Legacy notched his fourth complete game finishing with five strikeouts.  He allowed three hits and three walks in a solid seven-inning performance.  Torres finished 2-for-2 with those two decisive RBIs.  Junior Jordan Hunneyman (Redwood, N.Y.) singled twice, and senior Michael Zelyez (Brasher Falls, N.Y.) had one single. In game one, Hunneyman had two singles and an RBI.  Torres and freshmen Cody Ploughman (Barrie, Ontario), Kyle Sacks (Clifton Park, N.Y.), and Kevin Hill (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) each singled once.  Ploughman scored for the Roos after drawing a lead-off walk in the bottom of the first, and then came home on an RBI-single from Hunneyman. Zelyez started on the mound and fanned seven batters allowing three earned runs on six hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.  Sophomore James Amelotte (Cornwall, Ontario) relieved Zelyez and had three strikeouts surrendering five hits in 2 1/3 innings. Vincent Burillo, Nick Dunbar and Benjamin Hobaica each doubled for the Pioneers (5-22), and Joshua Webb had three strikeouts and allowed seven hits in seven innings.

April 30: The SUNY Canton baseball team was blanked by Plattsburgh State Tuesday night 8-0 in Plattsburgh. The Roos (12-22) couldn’t take advantage of eight walks given up by Plattsburgh pitcher Brian Burns, who held SUNY Canton to just two singles.  The Roos stranded eight runners in Tuesday night’s game. Seniors Mike Zelyez (Brasher Falls, N.Y.) and Gerardo Torres (Theresa, N.Y.) provided the two hits for SUNY Canton.  Junior Alex LaFountain (Keesville, N.Y.) absorbed the loss as he struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings allowing eight hits and seven walks.  Junior Bryce MacDonald-Wilson (Gastein Passage, Nova Scotia) came on in relief and fanned four allowing one run on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. Burns finished with seven strikeouts in the nine-inning complete game win, and Mike Mulvihill paced the Cardinals offense going 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI.
 

SUNYIT’s Chandler Evans slides safely into second base as the ball gets away.  But the game, nor the doubleheader, got away from SUNY Canton.  The Roos got a walk 6-5 win in the opener and an 8-3 win in the nightcap.  (E. Foote photo)  Game Gallery

SUNY Canton’s Trevor Legacy from Malone, NY sends a pitch to the plate as he would get the complete game win.

SUSUNY Canton’s Braden Giffin (44) scoops up a ground ball and tosses it to pitcher Travis Legacy (13) from Malone, NY, for the putout.  The Roos received solid, complete-game pitching performances from Travis Legacy (Malone, N.Y.) in Game One and Alex LaFountain (Keeseville, N.Y.) in the nightcap sweep.
(Cody Jenne photo)  Game Gallery

SUNY Canton gets out of a jam second-inning jam when Roos third baseman Luis Ramirez fields and outraces the runner to the bag on a close play. Briarcliff tied the game 1-1 in the top of the 7th, but Canton would get a 2-1 walkoff win in the bottom of the 7th on a bases-loaded walk by Jordan Hunneyman.
(Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

Clarkson pitcher Bryan Chudy deals in the late innings of the opening game against Union.  Clarkson lost two close battles with Union 2-0 and 3-2.  (Cody Jenne photo)  Game Gallery

Clarkson’s Connor Martin (6) hits the low sinker to get a base hit against Union. The Golden Knights suffered two tough losses to the Union Dutchmen 2-0, 3-2.  Outstanding Union pitchers made runs were hard to come by for the Golden Knights.

April  14:  Potsdam, NY - A two-run single from Bobby Derico (Watervliet, NY) capped a four-run sixth innings for the Clarkson University Baseball team as the Golden Knights rallied from five runs down to defeat Union College 6-5 in the opener of Sunday's Liberty League doubleheader at Jack Phillips Stadium. In the second contest, the Dutchmen gained a pair of runs late in the contest to hold on for a 5-2 victory. The Golden Knights moved to 9-14 overall and 6-8 in the Liberty League with the split, while Union maintained its first-place edge in the conference at 12-2 and went to 15-5 overall. Things did not look good in the early going for Clarkson as Union scored one in the first inning on a bases loaded fielder's choice that almost ended the frame on a double play. However, the Dutchmen would score four unearned runs in the bottom half of the second inning to push to a 5-0 lead. With two outs, Anders Goetz doubled to center field and he came around on an error. Following a walk to Dylan Katz-Wicks, Tyler Heck doubled home two runs and David Peretti singled home Heck. Clarkson starting pitcher Pete Roma (Endicott, NY) settled down after the second inning and allowed only two hits in the final five innings, allowing the Knights to make a comeback. Clarkson scored a pair in the top of the fourth, starting with an RBI-groundout from Connor Martin (Baldwinsville, NY). Tim Beninati (Schoharie, NY) followed with his second of three hits on the day to plate another run and bring Clarkson back to within three. It took three Union pitchers to retire the Knights in the top of the sixth inning as Dan Lenney (Clifton Park, NY), Martin, and Beninati opened the inning with base hits. Kyle Henchey (Rensselaer, NY) then delivered an RBI single to left and David Wixted (Ballston Lake, NY) pushed another run home with a fielder's choice. After Wixted moved up to second with a stolen base, Derico finished off the rally with his single to give Clarkson its first lead of the weekend. Roma went seven innings for a complete game and allowed only six hits and two walks while striking out four. Beninati went 3-for-3 for Clarkson while John Coleman (Potsdam, NY) was 2-for-3. In the second game, Clarkson continued to score runs by picking up one in the top half of the first. Bobby Derico earned a walk and advanced to second on a groundout before coming around on a Greg Jasek (Chittenango, NY) single. Union responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the second as James Mulpeter drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Chris Donovan followed with a single to center to give the Dutchmen a 2-1 lead. Clarkson knotted things up at 2-2 in the top hal fof the third as Dan Lenny singled home Derico, who had reached on a soft single and advanced to second with a stolen base. Union quickly regained the lead in the bottom half of the frame as Dylan Katz-Wicks led off by reaching on an error, advanced into scoring position on a single by Tyler Heck, and then came around on an errant throw on an attempted double play. Jarrod Mattingly (Philadelphia, NY) and Jamie Faber matched zeroes for the next four innings before Union picked up two insurance runs in the eighth inning. Vincent Esposito led off the inning with a single and advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt, walk, and hit by pitch. He then came home on a wild pitch, which mattered little as Sam Caruso singled home Tyler Heck later in the same at bat. Mattingly finished with a complete-game eight-inning effort, allowing eight hits while striking out three. Faber gained the win, going seven innings and allowing six hits while Matt Yonta came on to earn the save by pitching two scoreless frames.

Apr 13: Between blustery winds, cold temperatures, and outstanding pitchers, runs were hard to come by Saturday afternoon at Jack Phillips Stadium, but Union College scored just enough to pick up a sweep in Liberty League play, defeating the Clarkson University Baseball team 2-0 and 3-2. The Golden Knights fell to 8-13 overall and 5-7 in conference games, while Union continued to play well by moving to 14-4 overall and 11-1 in league games. The two teams are scheduled to play another doubleheader tomorrow at 12:00 noon. In the opener, Union jumped on Clarkson starter Bryan Chudy (Goshen, NY) in the first inning with a single on the first pitch of the game by Vincent Esposito. He moved up on a sacrifice bunt and came around on a Tyler Heck single to make the score 1-0, but Heck's hit would be the last that Union would get until the sixth inning as Chudy mowed through the Dutchmen's lineup. Unfortunately for the Knights, Dane O'Neil was even more effective, allowing baserunners in the first three innings before settling down and allowing only two hits in the final four frames. Union struck for one more run in the top of the sixth, scoring an unearned run in the sixth. O'Neil remained unbeaten and improved to 4-0 with a complete-game shutout, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out eight. Chudy nearly matched him, but fell to 3-1 in his complete-game effort, also allowing only five hits while walking two and whiffing three. John Coleman (Potsdam, NY) went 3-for-3, recording 60 percent of Clarkson's hits. In the second game, Anthony Padrazo (Setaucket, NY) and Seth Roberts matched zeroes for the first three frames as the pace moved along very quickly with three innings being completed in less than 30 minutes. Union broke up the duel when Tyler Heck hit his second home run of the season in the top of the fourth inning with the ball just clearing the fence in left field. The Dutchmen added another run in the fifth on a squeeze play with Matt Barretto racing home on a bunt by Joe Bradlee. In the seventh inning, Union picked up one more run on a two-out error, with Barretto again coming home after singling, stealing second, and moving up to third on a wild pitch. Roberts appeared ready to close out another complete-game shutout for the Dutchmen by retiring Coleman and Dan Lenney (Clifton Park, NY) on just three pitches in the ninth, but Ryan Vaughn (Saratoga Springs, NY) singled to keep things alive and Justin Rebhun (East Greenbush, NY) followed with another single and the pair moved up a base on an outfield error. Bobby Derico (Watervliet, NY) then singled to right-center to plate the pair and bring the Knights to within one, 3-2. However, Matt McGavick came in and retired Nolan Driscoll (Troy, NY) to earn the save for the Dutchmen. Game two once again saw the two teams combine for just 10 hits, with Vaughn, Rebhun and Derico each recording two hits for Clarkson. Roberts earned the win, allowing six hits over 8-plus innings, striking out three. Padrazo took the loss despite allowing just one hits in six innings.

Clarkson’s Dan Lenney (11) slaps a base hit down the line, during Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader against Rochester Institute of Technology. Clarkson held on to top the Tigers 3-2 in the opener. However, R.I.T. bounced back in the late innings to capture the nightcap in shutting out the Golden Knights 7-0. (John LaRue photo)  Game Gallery

Clarkson pitcher Pete Roma (2) delivers a fastball during the third inning Saturday’s opening-game win over RIT.

St. Lawrence’s Carter Franz (17) rips a base hit into rightfield in squeezing out a 4-3 win over Skidmore in Game 1 of a home-opening doubleheader. The Saints broke a 3-3 tie with a tun in the fifth inning. In the second game, the Saints rallied late but were done in by the Thoroughbred's 15 hits in an 8-5 setback.
(John LaRue photo)  Game Gallery

St. Lawrence pitcher Joe Riley (23) delivers a changeup during Saturday’s home opener in Canton. While Riley struggled early on, he regained control and got hitting support from the Saints in the complete game 4-3 win over Skidmore.

April  14: Zane Fish hit a three-run triple and drove in all four runs as St. Lawrence University won game one of a Liberty League doubleheader at Vassar on Sunday, but the Brewers bounced back to claim a 4-2 win in the nightcap. The Saints, 11-7, and Brewers, 9-10-1, 5-7, will play another doubleheader on Monday in Poughkeepsie to complete the league series. Joe Riley won his fifth of the year and improved to 5-0 while Andrew Weitzel picked up his third save of the year in a 4-3 Saint win in  game one. Fish followed a walk to Khifer O'Connor, a single by Paul Piatella and a walk to Matt DeLuca with a three-run triple in the bottom of the second to give the Saints an early 3-0 lead. Dave Robbins tripled in a run in the top of the fourth, but Jeff Kott reached on an error and scored when Fish reached on an error in the bottom of the fourth to make it 4-1. Vassar rallied in the top of the seventh with Mike Perrone singling in one run and another scoring on a passed ball before Weitzel closed it out. Vassar built a 3-0 lead through five in game two. The Saints scored a run in the bottom of the fifth on singles by O'Connor, Kott and Kevin Prindle and after the Brewers added a run in the seventh the Saints cut it to 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth as Carter Franz walked and scored on a single by Kott. Johnny Mrlik pitched the win for Vassar while Prindle took the loss for the Saints.

April.  7: Senior Carter Franz hit a two-run homer in the top of the third inning and junior Kevin Prindle made it stand up for his first St. Lawrence University victory and Franz, Jeff Kott and Paul Piatelli provided key hits in game two as the Saints swept a Liberty League doubleheader with Skidmore, 2-1 and 7-2 at Tom Fay Field Sunday afternoon. The Saints, who are scheduled to play a league makeup pair at Union on Tuesday, improve to 10-4 overall and 5-1 in the Liberty League after taking three of four in the two-day series with Skidmore. The Saints trail only Union, which is off to a 7-1 start in league play, in the league standings. Prindle, a transfer from Hamilton, scattered five hits and allowed only a second-inning run to Skidmore in his first start since a four inning stint against Monmouth on March 16. He walked two, struck out three and hit a batter in a seven-inning complete game win. Skidmore, batting as the home team, took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second as Matty Tatkow was hit by a pitch with two out and Mike Pannozzi singled him home. The Saints did their damage against Skidmore starter Jordan Keysor when Mark Syron singled, stole second and rode Franz' towering homer to right home for a 2-1 Saint lead. The Saint defense helped Prindle with three double plays and did not make an error. In game two junior starter Chris Kellogg went five innings, allowing two runs on eight hits to earn the win and the Saints padded a 4-2 lead with a three-run seventh to complete the sweep. The Saints opened the scoring without a hit in the top of the first as Skidmore starter Andrew Bannon walked Sryon and the Saint sophomore moved to second when a pickoff attempt went awry. He went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Franz. It went to 2-0 in the top of the third when Bryan Palermo led off with a single to right, Syron was hit by a pitch and Franz singled to load the bases. Khifer O'Connor hit into a double play, but Palermo scored from third. It went to 3-0 in the top of the fourth when Piatelli homered to right. Skidmore got on the board in the bottom of the Tatkow singled with two out, stole second and after a walk and a hit batter moved him to third, Jeremy Selecky singled to drive him home. The Sa ints went up 4-1 in the top of the fifth as singles by Palermo and Syron, and a walk to Franz loaded the bases with the run scoring on O'Connor's ground out. While the Thoroughbreds made it 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth on singles by Geoff Green and Alex Barber and a two-out base hit by Tatkow, the Saints broke it open with a three run seventh. Franz singled and stole second, O'Connor drew an intention al walk and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Jeff Kott then delivered a hard single down the third base line to score two, and after Kott stole second, Matt DeLuca drove him home with a single up the middle. Eric McGuire and Andrew Weitzel worked in relief of Kellogg, who improved to 2-0 and Bannon, the first of six Skidmore pitchers, took the loss. 
 

St. Lawrence University’s Paul telli (5) slides through Clarkson catcher Matt Jenack from Massena, NY, but is out on a force play at home.   The Saints tied the program record for wins with Saturday's first-game victory, but need two more and help from Vassar to win their first league title on Sunday afternoon. (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery  NCSN Broadcast

SUNY Plattsburgh’s Chris Pescetti attempts to golf at the pitch but would only foul it off to stay alive in the at bat. Freshmen pitcher James Amelotte (Cornwall, Ontario) threw an amazing game as SUNY Canton ended their season with a heart-breaking result against SUNY Plattsburgh by a score of 4-2 in extra innings.  (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

 St. Lawrence University’s Carter Franz (17) digs for a double and beats the tag from SUNY Plattsburgh’s Jake Oswald (6).  Franz went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a triple and a homerun as part of a 17-hit S.L.U. offensive, while freshman Frank Grady earned his first collegiate pitching win, 15-4.  Game Gallery

April  14:  After suffering through some early-season woes at the plate, the Plattsburgh State baseball team is finally seeing their offense come around. The Cardinals mashed 17 hits and forced Brockport to use five pitchers in a 9-8 victory over their SUNYAC foes on Sunday afternoon at the Clark V. Whited Complex on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Cardinals managed to win their first league series of the 2013 campaign and improve to 9-16 overall and 4-8 in SUNYAC games. Brockport falls to 13-12 and 4-9 in league tilts.   Although they earned the victory, the game was fraught with drama as the Cardinals squandered a five-run advantage and allowed the home-standing Golden Eagles to plate seven unanswered runs before coming back for the win. Senior right-hander Steven Corea looked sharp in relief as he finally put a stop to the Brockport offense. In 4.2 innings of relief, the Valley Stream, N.Y., native allowed just one hit while striking out four as he improved to 2-0. Intent on scoring runs early, Luke Weaver and Brian Latulipe blasted singles on the first two pitches of the ball game before coming around to score on RBI swings by Mike Mulvihill and Chris Pescetti. Pescetti reached base for the first time due to the first of three errors on the day by the Golden Eagles. Nick Bunce halved Plattsburgh State’s 2-0 lead in the Brockport portion of the first with an RBI single through the left side of the infield, but the Cardinals quickly regained their two-run advantage in the ensuing frame. Shane Houppert led off the second with a double and Latulipe brought him home with a two-out RBI single that gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead. With that, Brockport starter Matthew Coleman was sent back to the dugout which allowed the Cardinals to continue their hot-hitting ways against Tyler Clifford. Plattsburgh State tacked on three more runs in the fourth off of the freshman with the biggest piece of damage done by Mike Vargues. The sophomore racked up a pair of RBIs when his single scored Mulvihill and Pescetti to make things 6-1 Plattsburgh State. Instead of allowing the Cardinals to continue coasting along, the Golden Eagles snapped out of their offensive funk in their half of the fourth. Bunce led off the inning with his second long ball of the series before another three runs scored and made it a 6-5 game. Kyle Tracy provided one of the big hits when his two-out single plated two runners and a catcher’s interference call on Plattsburgh State backstop John Casten didn’t help matters either. Plattsburgh State starter Mike Doughtie lasted 3.2 innings, and reliever Corey Grossman had a rough outing as well. The Golden Eagles grabbed their first lead of the game with a three-run fifth inning that made things 8-6 before Corea stepped in and finally quieted Brockport down. A heads-up play by Pescetti brought the Cardinals within one run in the sixth. With Vargues caught in a rundown between first and second, Pescetti broke for home and scored easily. Houppert rapped another two-base hit in the seventh, and was plated by pinch hitter Casey Brighton to knot matters at eight in the seventh. Vargues recorded the winning run in the top of the ninth as he led off the frame with a double and scored on a passed ball with one out. Vargues and Casten each racked up three hits in the game and Vargues also amassed a pair of RBIs and a run. Latulipe and Mulvihill contributed three hits each as well as well as one RBI apiece. Pescetti had two RBIs and Houppert finished 2-for-5 with his pair of doubles. The Cardinals will remain on the road as they make the short journey to Canton, N.Y., to take on St. Lawrence on Tuesday afternoon. The non-conference game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

April 13: Just 20 minutes after Brockport roughed up the Plattsburgh State baseball team for 10 runs, senior pitcher Brian Burns rendered the Golden Eagles' bats largely inert in an eight-inning 3-2 victory to help the Cardinals earn a split against their SUNYAC enemies at the Clark V. Whited Complex on Saturday afternoon. Plattsburgh State's record goes to 8-16 and 3-8 in league confrontations while the Golden Eagles move to 13-11 and 4-8 in SUNYAC play. GAME ONE: Brockport 10, Plattsburgh State 1 (9 inn.) Veteran right-hander Marc Plante got knocked around by the Brockport lineup, surrendering nine runs in just four innings of work. After a scoreless opening frame, the Golden Eagles got on the board first with a one-out RBI single by Wesley Burghardt before Mike Weakley produced the first of many extra-base hits for Brockport with an RBI double to make things 2-0. Mounting a two-out rally in the top of the third, the Cardinals received consecutive singles by Shane Houppert and Brian Latulipe before Nick Lupo stepped to the plate and delivered the only extra-base hit of the tilt for Plattsburgh State. The sophomore drilled a double down the left field line to score Houppert and cut the Brockport lead in half. The Golden Eagles, though, wasted no time in cushioning their advantage. After Plante hit a pair of Brockport batters to begin the third, Dan Hurlimann laced a double down the right field line that scored another pair of Brockport runners and made matters 4-1. Things went from bad to worse in the home half of the fourth when Nick Bunce launched a two-out grand slam beyond the fence in right-center to give Brockport a 9-1 lead. Making matters worse, Brockport starting pitcher James Bardenett found his groove after Plattsburgh State picked up its only run of the game. The senior retired 12 of the next 13 Cardinal batters he faced and did not surrender another hit after the third inning. Brockport tacked on their final run off of Plattsburgh State reliever Scott Orr in the bottom of the eighth. Plante slid to 0-3 on the season after his four-inning day. In addition to his two hit batters, the Massena, N.Y., product issued some five walks to the Brockport lineup which tagged him for eight hits and nine earned runs. Bardenett improved to 3-3 on the season with a seven-inning performance that was highlighted by eight strikeouts and just one walk. Chris Pescetti picked up two of the six hits for the Cardinals while Latulipe and Lupo were each 1-for-4. GAME TWO: Plattsburgh State 3, Brockport 2 (8 inn.) In a battle that featured two of the best arms in the SUNYAC, Burns came out on top and earned his fourth victory of 2013. The senior out of Ellenville, N.Y., and his counterpart – Brockport southpaw Travis Renwick – gave up four and three hits respectively, and freshman Luke Weaver conjured up the only run-producing hit of the eight-inning tilt when his two-out single in the top of the eighth plated Houppert and gave the Cardinals the win. Burns suffered through a third inning that saw Brockport take a 2-0 lead after the senior plunked Bunce when the bases were loaded before issuing a walk to the next batter, Hurlimann, before a ground ball out got him out of the frame. Weaver came up with a great defensive play in the bottom of the fourth in addition to his game-winning hit. After the initial Brockport batter reached on one of the four Plattsburgh State errors, it looked as though Jake Coleman was going to give the Golden Eagles a 3-0 lead with his one-out single up the middle. Fortunately, Weaver came up with a strong throw from center field to gun down the overzealous Mike Weakley at the plate. In the Plattsburgh fifth, Pescetti was hit by the first pitch he saw before Mike Vargues reached first on a walk. A great sacrifice bunt laid down by Lupo advanced the runners and set up John Casten who picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly. The Cardinals knotted things at two when Houppert and Vargues pulled off a double steal with the latter swiping home plate with two outs. Burns, the SUNYAC's leader in ERA heading into the tilt, fanned six Brockport batters in the complete game victory, and didn't give up an earned run. Renwick fell to 3-2, but struck out five and issued two walks. Weaver and Latulipe were each 1-for-4 while Casten and Houppert were 1-for-2 in the game. The Cardinals and Golden Eagles will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday with a nine-inning game that is scheduled to begin at noon.