Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team fell twice to Allegheny College in their second day of competition at the RussMatt Invitational.

GAME ONE: Allegheny 8, Plattsburgh State 7 (7 inn.)
Placing runners on base wasn’t a difficult task to accomplish for the Cardinals (1-5) in the first game of their doubleheader against Allegheny College (3-3).

Bringing them around to score, however, proved to be the problem.

Plattsburgh State stranded 16 runners on the base paths and couldn’t come up with a timely hit with the bases loaded in the top of a wild seventh inning as it fell to the Gators 8-7.

Back in his old collegiate stomping grounds for the first time since transferring to Plattsburgh State, Rafael Ponce got his first start and was greeted rudely by Allegheny who tagged the sophomore out of the Bronx, N.Y., for four runs over the course of his 1.2 innings of work.

Lifted from the Plattsburgh State bullpen to take over for Ponce, Mike Doughtie finally cooled off the Gators’ bats for the rest of the second inning as well as the third, allowing the Cardinals to begin making up some ground.

After failing to score in the second in a bases-loaded situation with just one out, the Cardinals broke through in the third when Mike Vargues drove in Brian Latulipe with an RBI groundout that made things 4-1 Allegheny. Latulipe and Casey Brighton each picked up singles earlier in the frame.

Latulipe provided an RBI of his own in Plattsburgh State half of the fourth when his sharp single down the left field line brought home Shane Houppert who had been plunked by a Brandon Ellis offering to begin the inning.

Unfortunately, the Gators were able to solve Doughtie in their half of the fourth to build their lead back up to six. Eric Weyant began the Allegheny’s hit parade by leading off with a double before a bunt single by Matt Sardini put runners at the corners.

A wild pitch from Doughtie allowed Sardini to advance to second before the Plattsburgh State hurler intentionally walked Mike Kastelic to set up a potential double-play situation. The Cardinals wound up getting the ground ball they wanted off the bat of Zach Gray, but it found its way past the infield and brought in two more runs for the Gators.

After Allegheny tacked on two more in the fourth, Brighton hammered a double into center field to begin the fifth inning before Vargues brought him home with his second RBI of the afternoon. Vargues came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Houppert, making the things 8-4 headed to the sixth.

Doughtie returned to form for the rest of his relief appearance, allowing just two more base runners for the Gators, but the Cardinals let another bases-loaded situation go by the wayside when pinch hitter Chris Pescetti grounded out to first base to end the first half of the sixth.

Shane Houppert began a strong Plattsburgh State charge in the seventh by reaching on the only error of the day by Allegheny. With a good thing going, Luke Weaver shot a double down the left field line, sending Houppert to third.

After Casten went down swinging, Latulipe picked up his third hit of the day – a double – to score Houppert before Mike Mulvihill and Brighton followed up with RPI singles to make things 8-7.

After pinch runner Brian Burns got caught trying to swindle third base, the Cardinals loaded the bases once again with a base on balls by Vargues before Mat Chavez was hit by a pitch. Kevin Briggs couldn’t get the tying run across home plate, though, as the pinch hitter struck out to end the game.

Ponce (0-1) took the loss giving up six hits and four runs in 1.2 innings of work while Latulipe continued his strong start from the batter’s box, going 4-for-5 with two runs and a pair of RBIs.

Brighton was 3-for-5 and Mulvihill went 2-for-5 with each one picking up an RBI. Vargues knocked in a pair of runs as well thanks to a 1-for-3 day at the plate.

The two, three and four hitters for the Gators did all the damage, going 7-for-11 and amassing seven RBIs between them. Ellis picked up his first win of the season, going five innings and giving up nine hits.

GAME TWO: Allegheny 1, Plattsburgh State 0 (7 inn.)
The only offense the Gators needed came in the form of Kastelic scampering home as Gray was thrown out trying to steal second base in the first inning.

That play, unfortunately, gave Plattsburgh State pitcher Corey Grossman his first setback of the season in spite of a fine outing from the sophomore. The Wappinger Falls, N.Y., product pitched all seven innings, scattering just six hits while walking one and striking out three.

His Allegheny counterpart, however, was dealing just as well on the hill. Steven Ramsdell also went the distance, limiting the Cardinals to just four hits in the second game while striking out a pair of batters.

The best change the Cardinals had to bring a run in was in the second when Mulvihill led off the frame with a double before Ramsdell retired the next three Plattsburgh State batters he faced. In the bottom of the seventh, Mulvihill laced a single to center field before being pulled for pinch hitter Matt Meunier.

Meunier made it as far as second base before a flyout from Casten ended the game.

Mulvihill was 2-for-3 in the second game while Casten and Houppert each had one hit.

Another double dip is scheduled for the Cardinals on Tuesday when they cross paths with Hamilton College. First pitch is scheduled for noon.