Box Score LYNDONVILLE, Vt. – A shorthanded Plattsburgh State baseball team was unable to secure a victory in its final road contest of 2014 as the Cardinals found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-2 decision against Lyndon State College at the Skip Pound Baseball Complex on Tuesday afternoon.
Both the Cardinals (13-22) and Hornets (10-17) amassed eight hits, but Lyndon State scratched across the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth when Shane LaCroix was credited with a steal of home plate.
It was senior Colin Crawford who toed the rubber for the Cardinals to begin the tilt. In his first starting assignment of 2014, the Montgomery, N.Y., product nearly worked his way around a leadoff walk in the first but Chris Sevigney struck for a two-out RBI double to put the Hornets on top 1-0.
Lyndon State was able to double its edge in the second when Kevin Tufo smacked a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Quinn Rambo. Rambo was hit with a Crawford offering and advanced all the way to third on a sacrifice hit and a wild pitch before coming home.
The Cardinals responded in the top of the fourth when senior Matt Meunier began the frame by mashing a double to left field. Plattsburgh State's third hit of the day came off the bat of senior John Casten, who sent an RBI single to center, scoring Meunier and trimming the Hornets' lead to 2-1.
A leadoff walk issued to Nick Lupo by relief pitcher Jeff Williams in the top of the sixth paid dividends for the Cardinals. Lupo, a junior, stole both second and third base which allowed Ben Weightman to collect an RBI on a sacrifice fly and knot the game at two.
Plattsburgh State found itself in a prime position to take the lead for the first time in the top of the seventh. Both Mike Doddy and Will Flynn recorded one-out singles before pulling off a successful double steal to place them at second and third respectively.
Unfortunately, a strikeout by Lupo and a groundout by Meunier put the kibosh on the Cardinals' scoring threat.
With two runners on base in the top of the eighth, it was a double-play ball which extinguished the Cardinals hopes at putting at least one run on the board.
Putting in his fifth inning of relief work on the mound for the Cardinals, Scott Orr was charged with surrendering the winning run. LaCroix started the inning with a single before swindling second and advancing to third on the Hornets' eighth hit of the game.
After LaCroix swiped home, Orr got Ian MacGregor to fly into an inning-ending double play, but the Cardinals went down in order in the top of the ninth.
Both Casten and Doddy picked up a pair of hits for Plattsburgh State while Sevigney (2-for-4) was the only Hornet to enjoy a multi-hit afternoon. Mason Brewer earned the win for Lyndon State and Sam Matthews pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the save.
The Cardinals will play their final game of 2014 at Lefty Wilson Field in Plattsburgh, N.Y. SUNY Canton will be the opponent for Plattsburgh State in the Cardinals' annual Brian Mehan Be The Match game. Originally scheduled for Wednesday night at 7 p.m., the game has been postponed until later in the week due to poor weather conditions. A make-up date and time will be announced later in the week.
