Plattsburgh, NY – SUNY Canton's strong core of youth players was on full display, particularly freshman Korbin Lovejoy and Zack Baiani, who each had four hits across two games, but it was not quite enough as the SUNY Canton baseball team dropped both games of their doubleheader to the Plattsburgh Cardinals at Plattsburgh High School Tuesday.

After three innings in game one, the Cardinals were ahead 8-1 and late offense was not enough for SUNY Canton as they fell 10-6. The Roos were in control 4-0 in the second game of the twin bill, but Plattsburgh tied it up in the fifth and eventually walked it off in the bottom of the ninth in their 6-5 victory.

THE BASICS

• Results: Game 1: Plattsburgh 10, SUNY Canton 6 | Game 2: Plattsburgh 6, SUNY Canton 5
• Location: Plattsburgh High School – Plattsburgh, NY
• Records: SUNY Canton (8-20, 0-13 SUNYAC) | Plattsburgh (13-13, 4-10 SUNYAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
GAME 1 – BOX SCORE

• The Roos had two outs and nobody on in the first inning, but a Sal Diaz walk, then back-to-back singles by Eliezer Vázquez and Jared Paone scored the game's first run.
• In the bottom of the second, the Cardinals had a single sandwiched between two walks to pack the bags with one out. Zander Johnson, the starting pitcher for the Roos got a big strikeout for out number two, but the very next batter delivered with a base hit up the middle to score two as the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead.
• In the bottom of the following inning, Plattsburgh loaded the bases with nobody out. The Cardinals then had a double in the left-center gap that cleared the bases. That was only half the damage Plattsburgh did in the inning too with three more runs coming around to score after that as the Cardinals enjoyed an 8-1 advantage a third of the way through.
• SUNY Canton got a run back in the fourth, which began with trips to the bases from Mark Maybee Jr. and Jayden Cunningham off singles. AJ Campi then roped an RBI single as the game was now 8-2.
• However, the Cardinals responded to get their lead back up to a touchdown with a run scoring on a triple in the bottom of the frame.
• Campi led off the seventh inning with another base hit, advanced to third on two wild pitches, and then Chris McLean drove him in with a base hit up the middle. McLean was able to score later in the frame off the third wild pitch of the inning and SUNY Canton got a bit closer with the game now at 9-4.
• Johnson held off the Roos in the fifth and sixth innings to conclude his afternoon, retiring the final six batters he faced.
• Heading into the eighth, the Cardinals juiced the bases again in the frame and ended up getting their run total up to 10 after a sacrifice fly.
• Needing a miracle in the top of the ninth, the Roos had some big hits, including a Vázquez RBI double for the first extra-base knock of the game for SUNY Canton. This was followed by a two-base hit by Paone, who made it 10-6, but the Roos comeback fell short running into their third out of the game which ended things with the Cardinals leading 10-6.
• McLean and Paone had three hits each with Paone driving in two runs and McLean one.
• Campi, Vázquez, Lovejoy, and Baiani each had two-hit games, and the Roos had 16 hits in the contest.

GAME 2 – BOX SCORE

• To begin game two, McLean singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. McLean attempted to steal third and a ball sailed into left field which sent the center fielder bounding for home as the Roos scored a run in the first inning for the second straight game.
• In the second inning, Lovejoy got on base with a walk, then later scored off a two-out base hit by Baiani to make it 2-0.
• Lovejoy was responsible for another run in the fourth with an RBI triple following a Paone walk as the Roos were up 3-0 after the top of the fourth.
• In the fifth SUNY Canton scored again off the bat of Paone, who drove in a run with a base hit.
• Meanwhile on the mound, Ben Feil was dealing the first two times through the Plattsburgh batting order. The Cardinals struggled with making hard contact and the freshman hurler got many key players to strike out, pitching four scoreless innings with four punchouts.
• However, Feil's success did not extend into the fifth inning, with the Cardinals packing the bags, getting one run off a single, and then three more from wild pitches as Plattsburgh knotted the game up, 4-4.
• However, the Roos responded in the top of the sixth. Baiani was plunked, McLean walked, and Diaz went opposite field with a base hit as the Roos regained the lead at 5-4.
• The Roos stayed in front until the bottom of the seventh when the Cardinals had a leadoff infield single that later scored on a double down the line.
• SUNY Canton failed to score in the final three innings, despite men on in each frame. Looking to extend the game in the bottom of the ninth, the bases were loaded for the Cardinals with Michael Piccirillo at the plate. AJ Campi, now on the mound, got ahead 0-2, but then Piccirillo fouled away three straight pitches until he lined a shot up the middle of the infield as Plattsburgh walked off the Roos in game two, 6-5.
• Diaz, Lovejoy, and Baiani had two hits in the second game, Diaz with a double and Lovejoy with a triple.
• Maxwell Rose had a strong appearence in relief, allowing just one earned run in 3.2 innings pitched, striking out four without allowing a walk.

WHAT'S NEXT?
SUNY Canton will have another game against Oneonta tomorrow, April 22 at the Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex in Cortland beginning at 5 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.