WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Farmingdale State on Sunday at the RussMatt Invitational, falling 2-1 in game one, and 1-0 in game two. Despite great outings from the Cardinal arms, Plattsburgh managed just one hit to fall in both contests.
Plattsburgh State falls to 3-2 and will have a quick turnaround with a noon doubleheader against DePauw tomorrow, March 17 at noon. Farmingdale improves to 3-5 and next takes on Vassar at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, March 17.
Game One: Farmingdale 2, Plattsburgh 1
TJ Beninati (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) led the first game off with a single for Plattsburgh State and came around to score in the first but that would be all the offense the team could manage for the day, falling 2-1 in game one.
Kaelen Clarkson (Barrie, Ontario/St. Joseph's Catholic) was excellent in 6.1 innings, scattering six hits and allowing just two runs while striking out one, taking a hard-luck loss.
Logan Avin (Honolulu, Hawaii/Waterford (Conn.)) retired both batters he faced in the seventh to keep the Cards down one heading into their final at-bat.
Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) drove in the only run for the Cards, as his 38-game on-base streak dating back to last season came to an end on Sunday.
For the Rams, Derek Torres tossed a complete game, allowing just one hit and one run over seven innings, striking out four. Chris McGuggart and Christopher Sais drove in a run, while Justin DiMartino doubled, walked, and scored a run.
Beninati led the game off with a single for Plattsburgh State, and advanced to second on a wild pitch to immediately give the Cards an early threat. The senior then advanced on a flyout and Kornblau brought him home with a groundout to second to give his team the lead.
Clarkson was able to get through the first three innings unscathed, but two infield hits in the fourth set up the Rams for success. A ground out scored the tying run, but the Cards cut down a run at the plate trying to score on a sacrifice fly to keep the score at one run apiece.
After the Cards went 1-2-3 in their half of the fourth, the Rams took the lead after DiMartino led off the frame with a double and scored on a two-out infield-hit by Sais.
After that, the Cardinals did not have another runner reach base, as Torres stifled their bats to give Farmingdale the 2-1 win.
Game Two: Farmingdale 1, Plattsburgh 0
The Farmingdale State Rams no-hit Plattsburgh State in game two of Sunday's doubleheader, in a contest riddled with walks and lightning delays. For the Rams, starter Roman Dorosh went 3.2 innings walking seven batters but did not allow a hit, and Dennis Kelly finished out the game with 3.1 innings of perfect baseball to complete the no-hitter. Kelly has tossed 5.2 innings this year and has not allowed a hit in three outings, as he struck out five batters on Sunday.
For Plattsburgh State, junior
Isaiah Maines (Hudson, N.Y./Hudson) had another strong outing but took a hard luck loss, as he allowed just one hit and one run, while working around three walks. First-year
Liam Suozzo (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) worked out of trouble in the fifth with a scoreless frame, and first-year
Liam Kenaley (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) tossed a scoreless sixth while striking out two, finishing what was a two-hit effort by four Cardinal pitchers.
The first inning saw Plattsburgh State threaten with three walks putting a runner in scoring position in separate opportunities, but two strikeouts left them stranded.
The fourth inning for the Cards was disastrous as two walks were gunned down at second base, caught stealing to end any potential rally the team could start. In the following half-inning, the Rams used small ball to score their lone run of the inning, as Tyler Diez registered the RBI.
In the fifth, Maines exited, but two walks set up a Farmingdale rally as Suozzo was called to replace the first reliever for Plattsburgh. Suozzo walked the first batter he faced, but a botched steal got an out in a rundown for the Cardinals, changing the inning to second and third with one out. After that, Suozzo induced two groundouts to escape the jam.
Kenaley pitched the sixth and picked up two strikeouts in his collegiate debut, sending the game to the seventh inning with Plattsburgh down a run. Kelly, however, would not see any sort of Cardinal rally, sitting down two pinch hitters and the final batter of the game with a strikeout looking to clinch the no-hitter.
