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Box Score 2 FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the second time in as many days, the Plattsburgh State baseball team was led to victory by a dominant performance on the hill as junior JD Jenkins earned his first triumph of the season in a 3-1 win over Fredonia State in the SUNYAC opener for both squads.
The Lake George, N.Y., junior nearly went the distance (8.2 IP) for the Cardinals who saw their 2014 mark move to 5-8 and 1-1 in conference confrontations.
GAME ONE – Plattsburgh State 3, Fredonia State 1 (9 inn.)
A pair of first-inning unearned runs scored by the Cardinals would be more than enough to buoy Jenkins who evened his 2014 mark at 1-1 by throwing 8.2 innings of seven hit baseball. The junior walked six, but three double plays turned by the Plattsburgh State infield kept the damage to a minimum.
With Frank Buksa reaching on a two-out error in the top of the first frame, that set the table for Jeremy Rodriguez and Zach Hieb who followed up with an RBI single each to make matters 2-0 Plattsburgh State.
Rodriguez added the Cardinals' final run of the nine-inning clash in the third inning. Brian Latulipe drew a one-out walk and stole second base before another single off the bat of Rodriguez brought him around to score.
Fredonia State picked up their sole run of the game minutes after it was able to mash its first hit of the day.Conner Lorenzo reached on a one-out infield single and advanced to second on a groundout before reaching home on a pair of wild pitches by Jenkins.
The Blue Devils would threaten just once more, when Jenkins retired the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth before allowing three consecutive singles. Mike Vargues came in to record the final out of the game, earning his first save of the season in the process.
Other than Rodriguez, no Plattsburgh State player finished with more than one hit. Lorenzo went 3-for-4 to lead the charge for the Blue Devils.
The tough loss went to Larson (1-1) who threw a complete game while giving up just one earned run on seven hits.
GAME TWO – Fredonia State 11, Plattsburgh State 0 (7 inn.)
Neither variable of the Cardinals' game-winning equation from the previous tilt continued to the second one as a trio of Plattsburgh State pitchers combined to give up 14 hits and 11 runs to the Blue Devils.
The Cardinals' lineup was only able to pound out five hits against Fredonia State starter Steve Sturm , who improved to 2-0 in 2014 with a complete game performance in which he struck out four and walked just one.
Through his only two innings of work, Plattsburgh State's Will Flynn allowed six hits by the Blue Devils as well as a pair of runs in each frame.
Fredonia State's 4-0 lead held up until its bats sprung to life once again in the home half of the fifth. Ryan Carmody led off the scoring with a one-out, RBI triple before the Blue Devils used an RBI single, one of three Plattsburgh State errors and a bases loaded walk to bring home an additional trio of runs.
The Blue Devils plated their final three runs of the one-sided affair in the sixth when they got to Cardinals' reliever Colin Crawford. Ciro Frontale dealt the biggest blow of the frame with his two-run single.
Flynn (1-2) was the recipient of the loss and accounted for two of the three strikeouts racked up by the Plattsburgh State pitching staff.
Osawa, Buksa, Hieb, Jon Repetto and John Casten each picked up a hit in the loss.
Friday afternoon will see the Cardinals wrap up their three-game SUNYAC series with the Blue Devils in the Sunshine State. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
