PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team fell in an exciting extra innings game to Oneonta, dropping the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) series opener to the Red Dragons. The Cards tied it in the ninth on a Conner Gonzalski (Cicer, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) single, but Joey Dwyer homered for Oneonta in the 11^th to push his team to a 7-6 win.

Aidan Diltz (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe) belted his first career homer in the third inning and finished his day 3-5 with three RBI and a run scored. Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) was 3-6 on the day with two runs scored and a double, and Gonzalski was 3-5 with an RBI for Plattsburgh. Daniel Novelli (Maracy, Venezuela/Cypress Creek (Fla.)) reached base four times, registering two hits and two walks, scoring two runs and driving in a run while Austin Caldwell (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) also had an RBI.

Kolby Mordecki (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) struck out seven over 5.1 innings, while Dylan Bass (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North)  threw 3.2 scoreless innings, striking out six. Chris Santic (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) took the loss, allowing one run in two innings of relief.

Plattsburgh State falls to 17-10 (5-5 SUNYAC) while Oneonta improves to 14-16 (4-9 SUNYAC), with the teams meeting tomorrow, April 20 beginning at 12 pm for a SUNYAC doubleheader.

The Red Dragons opened the scoring in the first inning, as Brendan Duffy drove in a run with a single to left to give his team a 1-0 lead.

The Cardinals had a prompt response, tallying two runs with two outs in the bottom half of the frame. A two-out single from Gonzalski and then a walk from Novelli set up Diltz who singled to right center to bring home Gonzalski. Caldwell followed with a single to right as well, scoring Novelli, putting the Cards up 2-1.

After a scoreless second inning, a Franklin Padilla single scored a run from Oneonta, tying the game at two. In the following half-inning, Novelli led off with a single, and Diltz, after a long at-bat, blasted a homer over the deep left field wall, giving the Cardinals a 4-2 lead. The team added another run in the following inning at the plate, as Novelli singled home Kornblau with two outs to put Plattsburgh up 5-2.

A sacrifice fly brought a run in for Oneonta in the fifth, and in the sixth, after Mordecki loaded the bases, the Cardinals turned to Bass to quell the Red Dragon rally. Oneonta greeted him with a two-run double off the bat of Duffy and then took the lead as Padilla singled home a run, putting them up 6-5.

After that Bass settled in, striking out six batters over his 3.2 innings of work while not allowing a run to score. On the opposite side, Joseph Scarfone tossed three scoreless frames to keep his team ahead 6-5.
In the ninth, Scarfone went out to finish the inning but was greeted with a Kornblau double to start the inning. Derek Shea was called upon to close the game out, and Gonzalski lined a single to center that scored Kornblau and tied the game at six. Plattsburgh ended up getting the game-winning run on third base with just one out, but back-to-back strikeouts sent the game to extras.

After Santic tossed a scoreless tenth, a one-out double from Jack Defayette (Rotterdam, N.Y./Schalmont) put the winning run in scoring position but a double play on a fly out the next play killed the rally.

In the 11^th, Dwyer gave his team the lead with his homer to left, putting the Red Dragons up 7-6. Once again in the home half of the frame, Plattsburgh threatened, getting the tying run on second with one out and the two runners in scoring position with two outs, but a groundout ended the Cardinal rally, giving Oneonta the win.

Shea earned the win with 2. 1 innings of scoreless work while Duffy finished 3-7 with three RBI and Sean Liquori finished 2-4 with two runs and three walks, also tossing five innings and giving up four earned runs as the starter.