Canton, NY – Nathan Welch and Zach Miner recorded three hits each in the opener and nightcap, respectively, as the SUNY Canton baseball team squared off with visiting SUNY Poly in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) doubleheader on Thursday.

THE BASICS

• Result:  Game 1: SUNY Poly 10, SUNY Canton 8 | 7 INN. | Game 2: SUNY Canton 6, SUNY Poly 4 | Halted after 4 INN.
• Location: SUNY Canton Baseball Field – Canton, NY  
• Records:  SUNY Poly (6-6, 5-4 NAC) | SUNY Canton (5-10, 3-6 NAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
GAME 1 - BOX SCORE

• SUNY Poly got on the board first with four runs in the opening inning. The Roos responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame.
• Don Louis Rodriguez singled through the left side to bring home Miner. Nathan Welch followed with an RBI double to center plating Rodriguez.
• The Wildcats extended their lead to 5-2 with one run in the second before Canton brought a pair of runners across in the third.
• Rodriguez reached on a deep dropped fly ball to left field, but with one out Jesse Iacovetta scored as Rodriguez was credited with a sacrifice fly and RBI. Jesus Garcia followed with another sacrifice fly to center to bring home Rodriguez.
• Both teams tallied four runs each in the fifth inning. Dylan Allen doubled to right center to bring across Welch. Nick Shoemaker placed an RBI single into right center plating Allen. Iacovetta produced a single through the left side scoring Shoemaker and Rodriguez walked home Noah Reyes.
• The Wildcats added an important insurance run in the seventh. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh the Roos started to rally. Miner legged out an infield single and Rodriguez walked bringing the winning run to the plate. Welch drew a free pass on four pitches loading the bases but a long fly out from Allen ended the game.
• Raymond Strauser picked up the win for SUNY Poly tossing 4.0 innings giving up two earned runs with two strike outs and three walks. Kyle Liddy threw the final two innings picking up the save with two walks and two strike outs.
• Shane Tiernan took the loss for Canton allowing nine runs with four strike outs and two walks.
• Liddy led the Wildcats going 2-for-4 with a walk and 3 RBI. Bradley Dietz and Alexander Bonacci had two hits and an RBI each, while Paul Barber and Michael Cough also had multi-hit outings.

 
GAME 2 – BOX SCORE

• The Wildcats got on the board first with four runs in the top of the second. Canton bounced back with two runs each in the second, third and fourth innings.
• In the second Garcia scored on a wild pitch and Ty Reed reached on an RBI fielder's choice scoring Shoemaker.
• In the third Welch scored Iacovetta on a rare infield sacrifice fly. The left fielder and shortstop collided as the ball was caught, but Iacovetta showed some heads-up base running scooting home on the play. Canton tied it up at four when Garcia drove in Miner on a double to the gap in right center.
• The fourth inning saw Miner double home Reed and Miner later score when Rodriguez reached on a fielding error by the shortstop.
• Following the conclusion of the fourth inning the game was halted due to rain and field conditions. The teams will pick the game up right from where it left off on either Saturday or Sunday when the Roos and Wildcats are scheduled for another pair of doubleheaders.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
These two teams will play two more doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday at SUNY Poly with first pitch currently set for 1 p.m. both days.
   

About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 21 online degree programs. The college placed first in 14 categories in a SUNY-Wide Student Opinion Survey, most notably in career services, tutoring, library resources, and classroom facilities. The college's 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also features varsity eSports and cheerleading. For more information, visit www.canton.edu.