ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team dropped a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) doubleheader on Saturday, falling to Oneonta by scores of 8-7 and 14-9 (5 innings). The Cardinals came back from sizeable deficits in both games but were unable to hold onto their leads to drop the season series with the Red Dragons.

Austin Caldwell (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) had four hits across two games, scoring and driving in a run. TJ Beninati (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) had three hits on the day, also driving in four runs and scoring twice, while Zach Rainville (Saranac, N.Y./Saranac) had three hits as well, driving in three runs and scoring three runs on the day.

The Cardinals fall to 5-8 (0-3 SUNYAC) and next take on Middlebury on the road on Tuesday, March 25. Oneonta moves to 10-5 (3-0 SUNYAC) with the wins and next travels to SUNY Poly on Tuesday, March 25 for a non-conference matchup.

Game One: Oneonta 8, Plattsburgh 7

The Cardinals took a dramatic 7-6 lead in the eighth after trailing all game but were unable to hold the lead as the Red Dragons came back to win 8-7. Beninati had a clutch two-out, two-run single in the eighth, but Oneonta used their hot bats to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning and then walk it off in the ninth.

Beninati finished game one 3-4 with three RBI and a run scored, also walking and doubling. Caldwell was 3-4 with a walk, run scored, and RBI, while Rainville was 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

For the Red Dragons, Anthony Foglia was 2-4 with three RBI, and Nick Jacoby was 2-4 with two RBI and a triple. Brendan Duffy was the walk-off hero for Oneonta, as his double won the game for his team.

The Red Dragons wasted little time getting on the board, utilizing an error in the first to take a 1-0 lead, and then scoring three runs in the following inning with a Jacoby RBI single and Foglia two-run double.

Plattsburgh chipped away, getting a run in the third with back-to-back doubles from Rainville and then Beninati, and added another in the fourth with a Joey Di Rocco (Congers, N.Y./Clarkstown South) RBI double.

Oneonta extended their lead back to three runs as a wild pitch allowed a run to score in the fourth, but Plattsburgh responded with a two-run top of the fifth as a run scored on a double play, and Caldwell singled home a run.

In the sixth, Foglia had a sacrifice fly for Onenta, as they led 6-4 through seven innings of play.

Plattsburgh responded in the eighth inning, even after a double play erased a leadoff walk. Di Rocco walked and Frankie Kowal (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Lakeland) had a pinch-hit single to put two runners on. Rainville followed with a single through the right side, scoring Di Rocco, and then stole second to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Beninati then delivered with a clutch two-run single to left, putting Plattsburgh ahead 7-6.

In the bottom half of the inning, however, a HBP put the tying run on, and with one out, Jacoby tripled to tie the game at seven. Nick Goldberg (Commack, N.Y./Commack) entered with the go-ahead run on third and one out and proceeded to strike out the next batter and induce an inning-ending groundout to give Plattsburgh the chance to take the lead in the ninth.

A leadoff HBP was erased for Plattsburgh as they were caught stealing and the Cardinals went into the bottom of the ninth still tied at seven with Oneonta.

An infield single started the frame for the Red Dragons and a sac bunt moved them over to second, while an error allowed the person sacrificing to reach. Another sacrifice put runners on second and third and Duffy then smoked a pitch to right center, winning the game for Oneonta.

Game Two: Oneonta 14, Plattsburgh 9 (5 innings)

In a game shortened by inclement weather, the Cardinal offense once again would not quit, responding to the Oneonta seven-run first with a nine-run second, but the Red Dragons offense would not quit either, as they scored seven more runs to win 14-7 and sweep the season series.

For the Cardinals, Kowal was 1-2 with two RBI, two runs scored, and a walk, and Di Rocco was 2-2 with a walk, a double and a run scored. Rainville drove in two runs, going 1-3, and Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane) had an RBI, a double, and a walk.

Jacoby was 3-3 with three RBI, two runs scored, and two doubles in game two for Oneonta, while Duffy was 2-2 with a homer, three runs scored, three RBI, and a walk. Ryan Cronin was 1-2 with a walk, two runs scored, two RBI, and a triple while Eric Korzeniewski went 3.2 innings to earn the win in relief.

In the bottom of the first, two errors were the catalyst for seven runs for Oneonta, as they only managed two hits, one walk and two HBP in the frame.

In the following half-inning, the Cardinals had a similar rally, instead using seven walks to score nine runs and take the lead. Rainville started the rally with a two-run single and five straight walks followed, putting the Cardinals down 7-5. Kowal stepped up for the second time in the inning with bases loaded and singled home two runs to tie the game. Three wild pitches followed and the Cardinals took the lead at 9-7.

In the bottom of the second, Oneonta retook the lead after an RBI ground out tied the game, as Duffy deposited a homer over the outfield fence to put his team up 10-9.

From there, the Red Dragons added on, scoring three runs in the third with an RBI double from Jacoby, and a two-run triple from Cronin. The team added their final run of the game with an RBI double from Jacoby in the fourth to win 14-9.

In the fifth, the Cardinals were able to get a runner on, but could not cut into the five-run deficit as the game ended due to the weather and gave Oneonta the 14-9 win.