Plattsburgh, N.Y. - After being picked to finish sixth in the SUNYAC in the preseason poll, the Plattsburgh State baseball team (21-17, 7-11) clinched a SUNYAC tournament berth with a 14-9 win over Brockport (31-7, 13-5) in game two of the SUNYAC doubleheader. The Golden Eagles took game one over the Cardinals in a pitcher's duel, 1-0, before both team's bats exploded in the second game of the twin bill. Plattsburgh State will face off against the top-seeded Oswego, in Oswego, in the opening game of the tournament on Thursday at noon. 

The SUNYAC baseball tournament is a four-team double-elimination tournament that begins on Thursday, May 12, and extends through Saturday, May 14. Barring any unforeseen weather or site issues, Oswego will host the tournament, as they won the regular-season title, winning each series they played in the SUNYAC. 

In between games, the team honored 11 seniors for their service and dedication to Plattsburgh baseball; Aaron Roman (Pelham, NY/Pelham Memorial), Nolan De Melfi (Shirley, NY/William Floyd), Lucas Rodriguez (Middletown, NY/Middletown), Peter Gregory (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle), Pierce Steinberg (Mahopac, NY/The Harvey School), Christian Lent (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place), Dylan Reilly (Lawrence, NY/Holy Trinity Diocesan), Ryan Lawyer (Schenectady, NY/ Colonie Central), Steve Messerschmitt (Fishkill, NY/Carmel), Jacob Hutton (Albany, NY/Colonie Central), and Sean Malamud (Staten Island, NY/Susan E. Wagner). 

For the Cardinals on the day, Christian Ott (Kingston, NY/Kingston) was having a fantastic day before being forced to leave after being hit by a pitch, going 3-3 in game one with two doubles, and had another hit and run in game two before being removed. Andrew Veit (Yaphank, NY/Bellport) took the hard-luck loss, but had one of his best starts of the year on the mound, going seven strong allowing just one earned run. Mike Rasquin was one of several Cards to hit the ball well in game two, as he was 3-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBI. 

Game One: Brockport 1, Plattsburgh 0

The first game of the day proved to be a pitcher's duel throughout as Veit and Tom Kretzler of Brockport battled for seven innings. Veit ended with a complete-game loss, throwing seven innings while allowing just six hits and one earned run. He scattered three walks and struck out four, in the second-longest start of his career. Kretzler was even better, allowing three hits over seven innings and striking out nine to collect his seventh win of the season. 

Kretzler allowed just three hits, all coming off the bat of Ott. The junior singled to right field in his first at-bat and doubled his next two times at the plate. In his final at-bat in the seventh inning of game one, Ott led off the inning with a ball that hit the fence down the line at Chip Cummings Field, a shot that would likely have left most ballparks in the SUNYAC. After he was moved to third on a sac bunt from De Melfi, the team was unable to bring him home, stranding the tying run on third to end the game. 

Brockport scored their only run in the second inning as James Mansell singled to center field to bring in Brian Tietjen. 

Game Two: Plattsburgh 14, Brockport 9

After a quick game one, the Cardinals and Golden Eagles needed over three hours to finish the final game of the season, as the teams combined for 25 runs and 31 hits in the decisive win for Plattsburgh. Malamud earned the win, taking advantage of the high scoring output from his offense, for the sixth time this year which is a team-high. The six wins in a season are the most since Brian Burns won six games in 2013, as Malamud joins Burns in sixth place all-time in that category. 

Brockport struck first in the top of the second, plating a run on an RBI single. The Cardinals responded immediately and strongly, plating four runs in the second inning. A hit-by-pitch from Messerschmitt and a one-out single from De Melfi put two men on for the Cards. Nick Cergol (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai) then reached on an error by the right fielder to load the bases for Rasquin, who doubled to center field, scoring two runs on the play. After a fly-out,  Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, NY/Fox Lane) singled up the middle and scored two more runs for Plattsburgh, pushing the lead to 4-1. 

The Golden Eagles were able to put up two runs in the top of the third to pull the game back to just a one-run difference, but the Cards were able to score two more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Rasquin had a bunt single with the bases loaded and Hutton followed with an RBI fielder's choice to plate the two runs for the Cardinals in the inning, extending their lead to 6-3.

Plattsburgh had arguably their most important inning of the year in the following frame, plating six runs on five hits. Two HBPs and a walk loaded the bases for the Cardinals to start the frame, and De Melfi brought home the first run of the inning with an infield hit. A wild pitch brought home another run, and Cergol singled home two more runs immediately after, lining a ball to right over the drawn-in infield. After a Rasquin double, Hutton singled home Cergol and Kornblau then singled home Rasquin to bring the score to 12-3 Plattsburgh State. The team scored their final two runs in the fifth inning soon after, as Hutton singled home two runs with a single to left field. 

Brockport did not go down easily, however, putting up a five-spot in the sixth with four hits and a costly error. Chris Santic (Stony Point, NY/North Rockland) then entered and was exactly what the Cardinals needed from the bullpen. The sophomore escaped the sixth and allowed just one run in the eighth to hold the Brockport bats at bay and earn his team the win. He also earned the save, going over three innings, allowing one earned run and four hits, while also striking out two batters, 

De Melfi and Rasquin each had three hits for the Cards in game two, while Cergol, Hutton, and Kornblau had two hits apiece. Cergol reached four times as he also walked twice. The bottom three spots in the Plattsburgh order combined to go 7-12 with five runs scored, and nine RBI.