Plattsburgh, N.Y. - Peter Gregory (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) was outstanding for Plattsburgh State Baseball (16-14, 5-8) on Friday afternoon, tossing over seven innings and allowing just one run to score, as the Cardinals defeated Oneonta (11-22, 4-12) in game one of their three-game series. Both teams are fighting for the final spot in the conference playoffs, as Plattsburgh is now one game behind New Paltz who is 6-7 in conference play after falling to Brockport on Friday as well. 

Gregory was strong from the start, working around an error in the first that helped load the bases to strand three runners. Over the entirety of the game, he would strand nine baserunners as he scattered seven hits and four walks over seven-plus innings as he also struck out six Red Dragon batters.

The Plattsburgh offense spotted him a lead in the second in an unconventional way, as Kyle Cremin (Yorktown Heights, NY/ Kennedy Catholic) stole third base on a Cardinal strikeout, and the throw to third sailed over the third baseman's head allowing him to score. Cremin would add another run in the fourth for the Cards, this time with a single to center field that scored Steve Messerschmitt (Fishkill, NY/Carmel) from third. 

Gregory continued to cruise through the middle innings as the Plattsburgh offense knocked on the door of a big inning. After a run in the sixth on a wild pitch, the Cards finally got their big inning, with four runs in the seventh and then again in the eighth. In the seventh, Aaron Roman (Pelham, NY/Pellham Memorial) led off with a double to right field and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Mike Rasquin (Garden City, NY/Garden City) followed with a single up the middle, past a drawn-in infield to put the score at 4-0 Plattsburgh. After Jacob Hutton (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) walked, Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, NY/Fox Lane) smoked a double to right field that the right fielder appeared to lose at the last second due to sun, allowing a run to score. After a new pitcher was inserted and recorded an out, Messerschmitt singled up the middle, scoring both Kornblau and Hutton to put the Cardinals up 7-0. 

In the eighth, Plattsburgh added four more runs, as Roman singled home Cremin to begin the frame and Hutton singled in two runs after back-to-back HBPs loaded the bases. Conner Gonzalski (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) drove in the final run of the day for Plattsburgh with a sac fly to center, scoring Rasquin who had reached on an HBP earlier in the frame. 

Chris Santic (Stony Point, NY/North Rockland) finished the day off for the Cardinals, as he tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, striking out one. 

Offensively, Gonzalski, Cremin, and Roman each had multi-hit days, with Gonzalski picking up two more extra-base hits. During the current week over four games, Gonzalski is 9-17 with six runs scored, seven RBI, and eight extra-base hits; four doubles, one triple, and three home runs. Messerschmitt and Hutton each drove in two runs as Hutton made his return to the lineup for the first time since early April, out due to injury. The Cardinals only out-hit Oneonta 10-8, but the offense for Plattsburgh stranded only five runners, while the Red Dragons stranded 13. 

The two teams will battle once again tomorrow, as Plattsburgh looks to move into playoff position tomorrow at 12 pm at Chip Cummings Field.