PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team erupted for 26 runs on Wednesday afternoon, taking down the visiting St. Lawrence Saints 26-13 in a non-conference matchup at Chip Cummings Field. Despite being outhit 17-14 by the visitors, the Cardinals took advantage of 16 walks, six HBPs, and seven errors to score the most runs by the program since they scored 27 runs against Gallaudet in March of 2022.

Joey Di Rocco (Congers, N.Y./Clarkstown South) paced the team with 4 RBI, as his three-run double in the first put the team up by seven runs early. He finished the day 2-4 with three runs scored and a walk as well. Jonathan Beale (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys) was 2-4 with three runs scored and three RBI, reaching safely five times as he walked and was hit twice. Christian Diaz (Middletown, N.Y./Iona Prep) gave the Cardinals some much-needed length out of the bullpen, going 4.1 innings and allowing three earned runs to earn his first collegiate win.

For St. Lawrence Nolan Widrick was 3-3 off the bench, driving in a run and scoring twice, while Ethan Harris drove in three runs and had two hits. Jonathan Gannon drove in two runs, finishing the day 2-3 with two runs scored as well.

Plattsburgh State moves to 8-14 on the season, and next travels to Oswego State tomorrow, Apr. 17, for a conference matchup at Oswego State at 3 p.m. St. Lawrence falls to 8-17 on the season and hosts Hobart College this weekend for a Liberty League series.

Plattsburgh starting pitcher Bostyn Duquette (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Plattsburgh) gave the Cardinals a quick first inning, and the offense wasted little time getting on the board, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the inning. Two walks began the game, and an error allowed Di Rocco to score from second to put the Cardinals on the board without getting a hit three batters in. Two more walks followed, with Kyle Cremin (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) walking in a run to knock out the starter, Brendan Young of St. Lawrence. Shota Kubota came on and promptly walked the next two batters to bring in two more runs and put the Cards up 4-0. Kubota then got two outs, but Di Rocco doubled to right center in his second plate appearance of the inning, the first Cardinal hit, driving in three runs to put the Cards up 7-0.

The Saints responded with two runs on three hits in the top of the second inning, but in the bottom half, Plattsburgh added four runs on just one hit to go up 11-2.

St. Lawrence added three runs in both the third and fourth, going down just 11-8 heading into the bottom of the inning. The Cardinals, however, had a big response, as they took advantage once again of free passes, scoring five runs on one hit and three errors. After four innings of play, Plattsburgh had just three hits, but led 16-8.

After the Saints added a run in the fifth, the Cardinals added two in the home half of the inning, as Josh Foglia (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) doubled home a run and Colin Ross (Mastic Beach, N.Y./William Floyd) singled home Foglia, making the score 18-9.

A scoreless top of the sixth was followed by a four-run inning for Plattsburgh, highlighted by an Adam Wein (North Rockland, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep) "little league home run". The senior lined a single to centerfield to score a run, but the Saints centerfielder let the hard-hit ball roll right under him, scoring Wein and another runner as well to put the team up 21-9. Jackson Pam (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) later drove in Di Rocco with a sacrifice fly to extend the Cardinal lead to 22-9.

The seventh inning saw neither team score for the first time in the game, before the Saints added two runs on a two-run single from Harris in the eighth. Plattsburgh responded with a four-run inning as Michael Piccirillo (Glen Cove, N.Y./Glen Cove), Beale, and Zach Rainville (Saranac, N.Y/Saranac) each had RBI singles, with another run scoring on a wild pitch, as the team took a 26-11 lead into the ninth. Nick Pace (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) led off the inning for Plattsburgh State with his first career hit, singling to right.

 In the ninth, Brody Burdo (Stillwater, N.Y./Stillwater) made his first career appearance on the mound, as the Saints scored two runs before Burdo struck out the final batter of the game looking to give the Cards the 26-13 win.