AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team opened up play at the 2016 RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Sunday with a doubleheader against Vassar College. Each team would get a victory as Vassar took the first game while the Cardinals won the nightcap.

Plattsburgh State sits at 2-7 while Vassar remains at .500 with a 2-2 record.

GAME ONE: Vassar 13, Plattsburgh State 3
The Brewers jumped out early on Cardinal starting pitcher Andrew Kramer with a four spot in the top of the first inning, backed by four hits.

Ray Flynn would drive in teammate Adam Calabro for the first two Plattsburgh State runs in the first and third innings, respectively. Calabro would be hit by a pitch to start the home first, advanced two bases on a throwing error, and came home on Flynn's groundout to second. Flynn would single to center in his second at bat, plating Calabro to cut the deficit to 4-2.

T.J. Montalbano and Trevor Markey would post back to back singles, the latter scoring Flynn to get the Cardinals to within one run at 4-3.

Vassar would run away with nine runs over the final four innings of play.

In the top of the fourth, Kramer retired the first two batters of the inning before four straight hits gave the Brewers two runs to take back a three-run advantage.

The Clifton Park, N.Y., native wouldn't make it out of the top of the fifth despite retiring two of the first three batters of the inning. Dakota Sagnelli delivered a single to left field that scored Cory Wuenschell to make it 7-3. Senior Ross Levinson would relieve Kramer, and although he walked his first batter and hit his next, managed to escape the inning unscathed.

Vassar starter Adam Erkis became more effective as the game progressed. The junior allowed just one base runner over the fifth and sixth frames, his final two innings of work.

Leading 9-3 heading into the top of the seventh, the Brewers broke it open with four runs, highlighted by a three-run home run by Brooks English. The round tripper came off of senior John Milano, who was making his first appearance for the Cardinals in over a year.

Montalbano singled in all three of his at bats, while Flynn drove in two and scored a run.

GAME TWO: Plattsburgh State 9, Vassar 6
Just as the Brewers did in the first game, the Cardinals would put up runs in the top of the first as they were the designated road team for the nightcap.

Adam Calabro doubled down the left field line on the second pitch of the game. The transfer junior would score after Matt Hernandez was unable to field a ground ball off the bat of Billy Rombauts.

T.J. Montalbano didn't miss a beat following his performance in the first game as he doubled down the left field line to plate Rombauts.

Calabro started off the third inning with a solo home run to left field; the first of the season by any Cardinal, making the score 3-1 in favor of Plattsburgh State.

Freshman Matt Fox made his second start of the season and struggled, surrendering four runs, two earned on 11 hits.

With the game tied at three after three innings, Fox would get some help from his offense.

The Cardinals had first and second with one out for freshman Jon Craft. The Smithtown, N.Y., product dragged a bunt towards third base that he beat out for a single. A throwing error by the Vassar third baseman that sailed down the right field line though allowed both Travis Brown and Ryan Whalen to score, with Craft going all the way to third.

Plattsburgh State continued with the small ball as freshman Jordan Godfrey successfully laid down a bunt as Craft was moving on a suicide squeeze. That would give the Cardinals a three-run advantage as they took a 6-3 lead to the bottom of the fourth.

Vassar immediately got a run back with two hits, with a stolen base and walk coming in between.

The Cardinals had a good chance to increase their lead in the top of the fifth after Trevor Markey singled with Ray Flynn on first, but Flynn was thrown out trying to reach third base.

Fox allowed a leadoff single to the first batter of the home fifth, who then went to second on a wild pitch. The Shoreham, N.Y., product struck out the next batter before being replaced on the mound by senior Eric Rock.

Rock immediately ran into trouble when the first batter he faced singled. A sac bunt set up runners on second and third with two outs. The Cardinals elected to intentionally walk Matt Schwartz, who was already 2-for-2 and represented the go ahead. Rock escaped the jam by inducing a fly out to left field.

Plattsburgh State scratched out three runs in the final two innings to go ahead 9-4. In the top of the seventh, Rombauts walked and Montalbano singled for his second hit of the game. The pair executed a double steal before Markey came up big with a two-out single through the right side.

The Brewers didn't go down easy in the final from though. After a walk and a single, Rock and the Cardinals got a big break when Hernandez grounded into a double play. Vassar's next three batters all singled, but Plattsburgh State got its second key defensive play of the inning.

On the final of those three singles, Taylor Smach attempted to advance from first to third. Freshman Kilvio Garcia, who had entered the game in right field at the beginning of the inning, fired a strike to Frank Finkbeiner, nabbing Smach to end the game and give the Cardinals a 9-6 victory.

Fox, despite his struggles earns his second win in as many starts. Rock collects the save after throwing 2 2/3 innings and allowing two runs on five hits.

Plattsburgh State returns to action on Monday with a doubleheader against Suffolk University. The first game is scheduled to begin at noon.