WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team swept both ends of a doubleheader in their season opening games against Penn State Berks on Sunday at Heritage Financial Park in Wappingers Falls, New York. The Cards blew out the Nittany Lions in game one, 14-1, and then came back from a 6-0 deficit in game two to win 8-7.
Aidan Diltz (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) and
Colin Ross (Mastic Beach, N.Y./William Floyd) each had four hits across two games to lead the Cardinal offense. Diltz had the go-ahead hit in game two, while Ross had the first homer of the season for the Cards in game one.
Plattsburgh State moves to 2-0 on the season and next plays SUNY Cobleskill on Sunday, March 9 in a road doubleheader. Penn State Berks falls to 1-5 with the loss and next travels to Gettysburg on Wednesday, March 5 for a non-conference matchup.
Game One: Plattsburgh 14, Penn State Berks 1 (7 innings)
The Plattsburgh State offense was relentless in a 14-1 season-opening win, tallying 15 hits and drawing seven walks.
Ben Catrambone (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) had two hits, a double, and three RBI in the win, while Ross had two hits, which included a two-run blast to right.
Josh Foglia (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) doubled, tripled, scored three runs, and walked.
Ian Warren (Esopus, N.Y./Highland) had two hits, three RBI, and three runs scored.
Kaelen Clarkson (Barrie, Ontario/St. Joseph's Catholic) earned the win in his first career start with the Cards allowing one run across four innings while striking out six.
Nick Goldberg (Commack, N.Y./Commack) fired two scoreless innings, striking out three, and
Liam Suozzo (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) tossed a scoreless frame in his collegiate debut, striking out two.
The Nittany Lions struck first in game one, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead in the second. Plattsburgh State responded immediately, loading the bases as Warren doubled deep down the left field line to score two runs. Catrambone followed with an RBI groundout after, and
Kyle Cremin (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) singled home Warren to put Plattsburgh State up 4-1.
After a couple of scoreless frames on each side, Ross extended the Cardinals' lead with a no doubt, two-run blast to right, putting Plattsburgh up 6-1. The floodgates opened after that as the Cards added five more runs in the inning.
Justice Suafoa (Kinderhood, N.Y./Ichabod Crane) and Warren each had RBI singles, and Catrambone drove in two with a single up the middle to put Plattsburgh up 10-1, before a run scored on a double play to make it 11-1.
In the sixth, the Cards added three more runs, as Foglia tripled in a run,
Ryan Hart (Portland, Ore./Jesuit) singled home Foglia, and Warren scored on a wild pitch.
In the seventh, Suozzo struck out the first two batters he faced in his collegiate career, and he forced a groundout to give the Cards the 14-1 win.
Game Two: Plattsburgh 8, Penn State Berks 7 (7 innings)
In game two, the Cardinals rallied back from a 6-0 deficit in the third inning, taking down the Nittany Lions 8-7. Diltz gave the Cards their first lead of the game in the sixth with an RBI single, and Hart added the pivotal insurance run after with an RBI single to center.
Diltz finished game two 3-3 at the plate, driving in two runs, scoring twice, walking once, and stealing a base.
TJ Beninati (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) finished 3-4 with two runs scored at the top of the order, while Ross added two hits and two runs scored in game two.
Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) extended his on-base streak dating back to last season to 38 games, as he tripled and drove in two runs. Franke Kowal (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Lakeland) tied a program, single-game record with three HBP in the game two win.
Isaiah Maines (Hudson, N.Y./Hudson) earned the win with three innings of one-run ball, striking out three batters in his Plattsburgh debut.
Jack Castillo (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) earned his first career save, shutting the door and stranding two runners to give the Cards the win.
In the first three innings, the Nittany Lions collected eight hits to score six runs, taking a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the third.
In the home half of the third, Beninati led the frame off with a single to left, but two quick outs followed. Ross laced a two-out single to right and Diltz doubled down the right field to plate Beninati and get the Cards on the board. Foglia doubled in the next at bat, bringing home Diltz and Ross to cut the lead to 6-3.
Maines entered in the top of the fourth and worked out of a jam to strand two runners and keep the lead at three runs. In the home half of the frame, the Cards scored two runs with two outs, as Beninati kept the frame going with a single and a HBP to Cremin, set Kornblau, who tripled them all home with a scorching line drive to left center.
After a 1-2-3 fifth from Maines, Kowal was hit by a pitch with one out to set up the Plattsburgh rally. Kowal swiped second in the next at bat, and
Adam Wein (North Rockland, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep) singled home the sophomore, tying the game at six.
Maines once again worked out of trouble in the sixth, after an error to start the frame and a sac bunt put a runner on second base with one out. He struck out the next batter and the next, but a passed ball allowed the next runner to reach. A walk loaded the bases but Maines didn't falter, forcing a groundout to end the threat.
In the sixth, after two quick outs, Ross nearly homered again, one-hopping the wall in right center to put the go-ahead run on second. Diltz followed with a single through the right side to score Ross, giving Plattsburgh their first lead of the game. Diltz promptly stole second and then came around to score on an RBI single by Hart, putting the Cards up 8-6.
In the seventh, Maines gave up a leadoff double and was taken out for Castillo. He was greeted with a double as well, scoring one run and putting the tying run on second base. A walk put the go-ahead run on base, but Castillo was able to strike out the next batter and force a fly out. A wild pitch put the tying run just 90 feet away, but a groundout to third ended the game, giving the Cards the win.
