FORT MYERS, Fla. – After having its first six contests all come as parts of doubleheaders, the Plattsburgh State baseball team played a single, nine-inning game on Monday morning against the Minnesota Morris Cougars, coming out with a 6-2 victory as a part of the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.
 
In his first start of the season, Mamaroneck, N.Y., native Sean Howard threw seven innings giving up two runs, one earned while striking out seven.
 
It was senior Chris Pescetti who got the Cardinals on the board in the top-half of the first inning with his first of three hits in the game, a two-out single plating Brian Latulipe.
 
Howard would retire six of the first seven hitters for Minnesota Morris through the first two frames.
 
After a Frank Buksa double with one out in the top of the third, sophomore T.J. Montalbano singled him in, increasing the Plattsburgh State lead to 2-0.
 
Howard would work his way out of a one-out bases loaded jam in the bottom half of the third, first striking out Chandler Erickson before getting  Kylan Hill to ground into a fielder's choice.
 
The Cardinals would give Howard a couple of insurance runs in the seventh, which were helped by two Cougar errors.
 
Montalbano began the inning by reaching first after a Jake Schmitz error at short. The Dix Hills, N.Y., product would then advance to second following a botched pick-off attempt. Billy Rombauts singled with one out an advanced to second on the throw to home which kept Montalbano at third base.
 
With two outs, Alex Rodriguez was called on as a pinch hitter and came through with a two-out, two-run single, which ended up being the difference in the game as Minnesota Morris cut the lead in half in the bottom-half of the inning.
 
Donnie Mavencamp and Willie Fust each had back-to-back doubles to start the home seventh, followed by Jackson Gessell reaching on an error, plating the second run for the Cougars.
 
Howard was able to get the next three hitters out in order, ending his day with the Cardinals holding a 4-2 lead.
 
Senior Ross Levinson entered in relief in the bottom of the eighth, and much like Howard, was able to get out of trouble, getting Fust to ground out with the tying run on base.
 
The Cardinals quickly loaded the bases in the ninth inning with singles by Pescetti, Rombauts, and Mike Vargues. After a fielder's choice, Brandon Buksa connected on a single down the left field line, plating Rombauts and Vargues, sealing the Cougars' fate.
 
Plattsburgh State amassed 15 hits in the win, and now has collected at least 10 hits in each of its past five games.
 
Tomorrow will see the Cardinals play their final game in Fort Myers, when they face off against Keystone College at 9 a.m.