Box Score LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – A 12-hit afternoon by the Plattsburgh State baseball team wasn't enough to get the Cardinals back into the win column as they dropped a 5-4 decision to The College at Brockport at Siena Field on the campus of Siena College on Friday afternoon.
Plattsburgh State (8-15, 3-6 SUNYAC) stranded eight men on the base paths in the setback. The Golden Eagles (12-9, 4-6 SUNYAC) benefitted from a Cardinal blunder that allowed three unearned runs to touch home plate in the top of the seventh.
Leadoff man Nick Lupo put the Cardinals in great position right off the bat by beginning the nine-inning battle with a single up the middle. The Fishkill, N.Y., product would steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch before crossing home plate.
Luke Weaver picked up an RBI and put the Cardinals up 1-0 when his sacrifice fly plated Lupo.
That run would be the only one scored for the next four innings as the game morphed into a pitcher's duel between Plattsburgh State's JD Jenkins and Brockport hurler Matthew Coleman. After the first inning, Coleman sat down 15 consecutive Plattsburgh State batters, but Jenkins did a fine job of putting zero after zero up on the scoreboard as well.
Jenkins encountered his first bump in the road during the top of the sixth frame when the Lake George, N.Y., product put runners on first and second with a base on balls followed by a hit by pitch.
With that, Wesley Burghardt laid down a sacrifice bunt down the first base line. Cardinals' first baseman Chris Pescetti elected to try and gun down the runner headed for third, but his throw was too late to beat the runner, leaving the bases loaded with no outs.
Dan Hurlimann put the Golden Eagles on top for good when his two-run single up the middle made matters 2-1 in favor of Brockport. Jenkins escaped any further damage in the frame by registering a strikeout and inducing one of three ground-ball double plays turned by the Plattsburgh State infield through the tilt.
Brockport tacked on three more runs – all of which were unearned – in the top of the seventh. The only error of the day by both teams came on a misplayed ball by Plattsburgh State shortstop Brian Latulipe and upped the Golden Eagles' edge to 5-1.
The comeback bid placed by Plattsburgh State began in the bottom of the seventh when Latulipe and Frank Buksa strung together consecutive singles. Jeremy Rodriguez delivered a sacrifice fly to score Latulipe and make it a 5-2 game.
With that, Coleman was replaced with Rob Stankiewitz who surrendered back-to-back singles to Pescetti and Yuya Osawa to load the bases. The Cardinals saw their offense come to a screeching halt, though, when a pair of groundouts ended the frame.
RBI hits by Latulipe and Pescetti allowed the Cardinals to close within one, 5-4, in the bottom of the eighth, but Plattsburgh State would leave the bases loaded for the second time in as many innings when a pair of outs killed the momentum.
Down to their final set of outs, the Cardinals got their bottom of the ninth off to a promising start when pinch hitter John Casten slapped a single to left-center field. Brockport reliever Brian Westling then hit Lupo, putting runners on first and second but the Cardinals' next three hitters went down in order to end the game.
Jenkins (2-3) took the loss by working 6.2 innings in which he allowed two earned runs on seven hits and three walks. Coleman (3-1) fanned six batters in the win while Westling secured his second save of the season.
Buksa collected a game-high three hits while Latulipe, Lupo and Pescetti added two apiece. Mike Vargues punched out five Brockport batters in 2.1 innings of relief for Plattsburg State.
Hurlimann enjoyed a good day at the plate for Brockport, going 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles will be back at it on Saturday morning. A SUNYAC doubleheader between the two clubs is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at Siena Field.
