WINTER HAVEN, FL – The SUNYIT baseball team opened the 2011 season by splitting a pair of contests with Colby-Sawyer during a doubleheader Sunday, dropping game one 6-4 before rebounding with a 7-2 victory in game two. The doubleheader was the first of four that the Wildcats will play in Florida during the team's annual spring trip to the Sunshine State.
SUNYIT put two runs on the board to open game one, as junior Anthony Surber (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills) hit an RBI triple that brought home sophomore leadoff hitter John LeClair (Mohawk, NY/Cortland State) and was then brought home on an RBI single from senior captain Dan Orza (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington). Colby-Sawyer responded in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of two Wildcat errors and scoring three runs to take a 3-2 lead. The Wildcats quickly tied the game back up in the second on an RBI double from LeClair, but Colby-Sawyer responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good, adding an insurance run in the fourth and hanging out for the victory.
LeClair finished 2-for-2 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI and Surber went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs.
Sean Gavin, Tyler Stotz and Greg Mehuron all scored two runs for Colby-Sawyer. Freshman pitcher P.J. Singster went six and a third innings and gave up four runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking two to claim the victory.
The Wildcats turned it around in game two, going on an offensive tear with seven runs on 12 hits. Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third, SUNYIT tied the game with two unearned runs. The Wildcats went off from there, scoring three runs in the fifth on RBI singles from Orza and sophomore Chandler Evans (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) and an RBI double from junior Michael McCrone (Whitney Point, NY/Hudson Valley CC), while adding two more runs in the sixth on RBI singles from LeClair and Orza to secure the victory.
Orza finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored, while LeClair was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored and McCrone had two hits, a double and two RBI.
Junior Patrick Baker (Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetequot) pitched five strong innings and struck out one batter to record the win, while Evans and Michael Rose (Chatham, NY/Hudson Valley CC) pitched an inning each and combined for three strikeouts to close out the game.
Kevin Keith had six strikeouts in the loss for Colby-Sawyer.
The Wildcats will be back in action tomorrow when they take on Mount Saint Mary College. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled to begin at noon.