ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team dropped two State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) games to Oneonta on Monday, as the team was held to three total runs and 12 hits over 18 innings.

The Cardinal pitching was strong in both games as Chris Santic (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) and Andrew Veit (Yaphank, N.Y./Bellport) each turned in solid starts to keep Plattsburgh in contention in both games, but each ended up being charged with losses.

Plattsburgh drops to 4-10 (0-3 SUNYAC) with the losses and next travels to Brockport for another SUNYAC series, beginning on Friday, March 31 at 3 p.m. Oneonta improves to 12-3 (3-0 SUNYAC) with the doubleheader sweep and next plays SUNY Canton for two non-conference games on March 28.

Game One: Oneonta 3, Plattsburgh 2
For the second time in less than 24 hours, the Cardinals fell to the Red Dragons 3-2 to begin their SUNYAC doubleheader on Monday morning. Jack Defayette (Rotterdam, N.Y./Schalmont) singled twice and drove in a run, as Kyle Cremin (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) also recorded two hits, including a double, and reached on a walk.

A first inning single for Oneonta gave them an early 1-0 lead as the Plattsburgh starting pitcher Santic was able to quell the rally by stranding runners on first and third. The score would remain at 1-0 through the next four innings, as Santic and Red Dragon starter Tom Roefaro both settled in to keep the bats quiet on both sides.

The Cards were finally able to come through in the run column in the top of the sixth inning as Nick Cergol (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) walked to lead off the frame and Conner Gonzalski (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) singled to right center to put runners on the corners with no outs. Defayette followed with a single to shallow left to plate Cergol and tie the game up at one run apiece. After a sacrifice bunt, Adam Wein (North Rockland, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep) grounded to left of the third baseman, who only had a play at first, allowing Gonzalski to score and give the lead to Plattsburgh.

The Red Dragons were able to immediately respond in the bottom of the sixth as the first batter of the inning homered to left to tie the game. A double followed, but Santic was able to work around the two-base hit and keep the game tied heading into the seventh. The Cardinals proceeded to load the bases in the subsequent inning with two outs, but could not get the go-ahead run across as a groundout ended the inning. Oneonta then retook the lead in the bottom of the inning on a two-out triple, putting them up 3-2 heading into the eighth.

Plattsburgh was able to put the tying run on base in the ninth, but Red Dragon reliever Logan Carriero induced a game ending groundout as he picked up his second straight save against Plattsburgh and fifth on the season.

Santic finished with 6.2 innings of work, striking out four and allowing three earned runs while Kolby Mordecki (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) tossed 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball in relief, walking and striking out one batter.

Game Two: Oneonta 5, Plattsburgh 1
In another low scoring matchup, the Red Dragons held the Plattsburgh bats at bay for nine innings, as they were limited to just one run and five hits by two Red Dragon pitchers.

Veit (Yaphank, N.Y./Bellport) battled through seven innings of work, allowing four earned runs while striking out eight batters, as Mordecki relieved him in the eighth and allowed one run and struck out a batter. Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) had the team's only multi-hit game as he singled and doubled. First-year Will Baumann (Albany, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) walked twice and drove in the team's only run in the loss.

The Red Dragons scored all the runs they would need in the first two innings, scoring three in the first and then one run in the second to go up 4-0 on the Cards early in the second game of the day.  Plattsburgh was unable to get any sort of rally going through the first five innings as Red Dragon starter Michael Sadowski cruised through the first five innings, striking out nine batters.

In the top of the sixth, Plattsburgh finally threatened when four straight batters reached, culminating with a Baumann RBI walk to knock Sadowski out of the game with the bases loaded and one out. However, the Red Dragon reliever was able to induce an inning-ending double play, stranding the tying run on first base.

Over the final three innings, Plattsburgh managed just two baserunners as Kyle Roper earned the three-plus inning save for the Red Dragons, with Sadowski earning the win and Veit taking the loss.

Defayette singled for three total hits on the day and five in the series, while Gonzalski singled and scored a run for the Cards.