Myrtle Beach, SC – Eliezer Vázquez, Korbin Lovejoy, and Jacob Ortiz all had three-hit nights, but the SUNY Canton baseball team dropped a 9-6 decision to the Hilbert Hawks after another rough first inning Wednesday night.

THE BASICS

• Result: Hilbert 9, SUNY Canton 6
• Location: Griffith Field – Myrtle Beach, SC
• Records: SUNY Canton (2-4) | Hilbert (7-5)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After two quick outs, the Roos did some damage in the opening frame after Chris McLean singled up the middle, then Vázquez smashed a double down the opposite field line which sent McLean bounding for home. Later, an error sent Vázquez across the plate as the Roos gave starting pitcher Karter Kenniston two runs of support heading into the bottom of the first.
• However, SUNY Canton ran into some trouble in Hilbert's first cracks at the plate. The Hawks did a nice job with working counts and finding the gaps, piling on seven runs to take a big lead into the second.
• Into the top of the fourth with Hilbert's advantage now at 9-2, SUNY Canton amassed a big inning starting with an RBI single by Ortiz, followed by a 2-RBI double from AJ Campi. The three runs in the inning made it a game again with SUNY Canton only down 9-5.
• Offense on both sides slowed down in the middle innings, but the Roos got another one across the plate in the seventh. Sal Diaz led off the inning with a double, then eventually scored on a groundout by Vázquez, who tallied his second run batted in of the game to bring the Roos within three.
• Jayden Cunningham had a gem of a relief appearance to keep SUNY Canton in the game. The freshman ended up tossing six innings of one-run baseball, allowing just three hits and striking out seven.
• The Roos still trailed by a score of 9-6 heading into their final at bats, and although the final inning started with a hit by pitch drawn by Ortiz, a double play quickly wiped out the baserunner and SUNY Canton could not get any two-out magic going, dropping the contest by three runs.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Ortiz was 2-for-3 on the day with a run batted in, while Vázquez had two RBIs on two hits and Lovejoy added two hits also, one being a double. Campi and Diaz each doubled as well to fuel the offense for the Roos.
• Cunningham's spectacular relief appearance brings his season ERA to just 1.93 (9.1 IP, 2 ER). Maxwell Rose filled in during the eighth, pitching a three-up, three-down inning with one punchout.
• Hilbert scored seven of their nine runs in the first inning and all nine in the first three innings. Jude Khoury slapped a pair of doubles in a three-hit night to lead the Hawks bats. Reliever David Alessi had a nice game with four innings, allowing two hits, and one run.  
• Both teams registered 11 hits and one error with neither team leaving many runners on with SUNY Canton at five men left on base and Hilbert four. Hawks pitching did not walk a batter and the Roos only gave out two.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Roos will next square off with the Rivier Raiders tomorrow, March 12, at 2 p.m.      
   

Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education, SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 25 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.