WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team bounced back after a game on loss, splitting a RussMatt Invitational doubleheader with DePauw in Winter Haven, Florida. The Tigers took advantage of 13 walks in game one to win 9-0, but the Cardinal's pitching was much stronger in game two, as they defeated DePauw 3-1 in game two.

Senior Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) reached base four times over two games, driving in two runs in game two, and stealing a base in each game. Graduate student Tyler Kohn (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North) earned the game one win with 4.1 innings of one-run ball to lead a strong effort in the game two win.

With the split, Plattsburgh State moves to 4-3 on the season and next takes on Bowdoin College, tomorrow, March 18 in doubleheader action starting at approximately 2:30 p.m. DePauw moves to 6-7 on the season and plays the Milwaukee School of Engineering at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, March 18.

Game One: DePauw 9, Plattsburgh 0

DePauw struck early and often in game one, jumping out to a 6-0 lead after two innings and adding three more runs in the seventh to win 9-0. Lucas Stephan earned the win out of the pen, tossing four scoreless innings for the Tigers while striking out five.

Walks plagued the Cardinals through the game-one loss, as they gave out 13 free passes, with eight walks in the first two innings. Sophomore Hunter Eberhart (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) gave the Cardinals a strong effort to stop the bleeding, escaping the jam in the second and tossing 1.2 innings without giving up a run. Sophomore Drew Romesser (Akron, N.Y./Akron) gave the Cards a strong effort as well, striking out three in over 3.2 innings of work.

Offensively, junior Bostyn Duquette (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Plattsburgh) reached base twice with his first collegiate hit and a walk, also stealing base, while sophomore Michael Piccirillo (Glen Cove, N.Y./Glen Cove) was 1-1 with a single.

The Tigers struck for one run in the first inning, but starter and sophomore Jack Castillo (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) limited the damage to keep the score at just 1-0. The Cards then stranded Kornblau on second base in the bottom half of the frame, as the floodgates opened in the top of the second.

Five walks and just two hits equated to five runs for DePauw in the frame before Eberhart stranded the bases loaded by inducing an inning-ending popout. The runs were more than enough cushion for Stephan who cruised through the middle innings for the Tigers.

In the sixth, the Cards threatened with back-to-back singles to begin the inning from senior Kyle Cremin (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) and Piccirillo, but a double play and then ground out ended the threat for Plattsburgh State.

In the seventh, walks once again haunted the Cards as DePauw added three more runs to really put the game out of reach heading into Plattsburgh's final at-bat.

Duquette had a one-out single and then stole second before first-year Jackson Pam (Dix Hills, N.Y./Hollow Hills East) walked and Kornblau was then hit to load the bases. A scorched grounder off the bat of Cremin was fielded by a diving first baseman and the pitcher just beat Cremin to the bag to end the game.

Carter Knoll finished game one 2-4 with two RBI, while Grady Johnson reached safely four times with a single, two walks, an HBP, and a sacrifice fly.

Game Two: Plattsburgh 3, DePauw 1

In game two, the much-improved pitching allowed Plattsburgh State to pick up the win, as Kohn earned his third career win with his 4.1 innings of solid work. First-year Liam Suozzo (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) worked out of trouble in the fifth and totaled 1.2 scoreless innings before senior Nick Goldberg (Commack, N.Y./Commack) worked around two hits in the seventh to notch his second save of the season.

Offensively, Kornblau had the lone multi-hit day with a 2-3 effort driving in two runs, scoring once , and stealing a base. Pam doubled and scored a run for the Cards, while sophomore Frankie Kowal (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Lakeland) reached twice with a triple and his fifth hit-by-pitch of the season in just eight plate appearances. Duquette had a single and scored a run, while Cremin had an RBI sacrifice fly for Plattsburgh.

After two scoreless innings to begin the action, the Cardinals broke open the scoring in the top of the third, as Pam started a Plattsburgh rally with a one-out double to left. Kornblau followed with a single up the middle after a long at-bat, scoring Pam and getting himself to second on the throw home. After a wild pitch moved him to third, Kornblau scored on a sacrifice fly by Cremin to put Plattsburgh up 2-0.

After both teams went scoreless in the next two half-innings, DePauw threatened in the bottom of the fourth as a walk, HBP, and single loaded the bases with just one out in the inning. Kohn, however, stood tale, inducing an inning-ending double play to escape the jam.

Plattsburgh responded by adding an insurance run, as Duquette singled to lead off the inning and then advanced to third on a failed pick-off attempt and error by the pitcher. A groundout with the infield in kept him on third but Kornblau ripped a single just past the shortstop in the next at-bat to plate Duquette and put the Cards up 3-0.

The Tigers finally got to Kohn in the fifth, as a leadoff double came around to score on a one-out single to put DePauw on the board. Suozzo entered and induced a groundout, and after allowing a single, struck out the next batter to end the Tiger threat.

After the Cards went down in order in the sixth, Suozzo worked himself into and then out of trouble, as he was faced with the bases being loaded and just one out. He then struck out the Tiger's leadoff hitter and got the next batter to fly out to end the threat.

In the seventh, Goldberg came on for the save and after allowing two singles, induced a game-ending double play to give the Cards the 3-1 win.

Pearse Riendeau took the loss for DePauw despite a complete game effort, giving up just two earned runs in seven innings of work.