MARCY, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly Wildcats hosted their first four home games of the season this weekend against Gallaudet and Lancaster Bible. On Saturday the Wildcats emerged with two NEAC wins over Gallaudet 5-3 and 8-3. On Sunday the Wildcats split with Lancaster Bible 4-18 and 5-0.
SATURDAY
Saturday's first game was an exciting back and forth competition with the Bison of Gallaudet University. The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the second only to have Gallaudet tie up the game in the sixth and take the lead in the seventh 3-1. The Wildcat offense answered back in the bottom of the seventh with a four run inning that featured a Raymond Smith (Staten Island, N.Y.) two run homerun. The Wildcats would hold the lead through the eighth and ninth to secure the win 5-3.
Raymond Smith finished the game 3-4 with 2 RBIs, a walk, and two stolen bases. Joseph Cascella (Staten Island, N.Y.) went 2-3 with two doubles and an RBI. Sawyer Haney (Cooperstown, N.Y.) started the game for the Wildcats on the mound. He went six and two thirds innings, allowed three runs, and had three strikeouts. Alex Helenek (Glensville, N.Y.) earned the win for the Wildcats. He threw two and a third innings in relief and allowed just two hits and struck out one.
The second game saw the two teams battle back and forth again. The Wildcats struck first with a run in the bottom of the first. The Bison answered with two in the top of the second to which the Wildcats answered with one in the bottom of the third to tie the game back up. Gallaudet would take the lead in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly but two three run innings for the Wildcats in the fifth and sixth would seal the deal and give the Wildcats the 8-3 win.
Brett Flint (Amsterdam, N.Y.) threw a complete game for the Wildcats. He allowed seven hits, two earned runs, and had two strikeouts. The Wildcats shared the offensive load, having all seven hits and all seven RBIs come from different players. Tyler Vyce (Clifton Park, N.Y.) went 1-2 with a walk and an RBI in the cleanup spot. Dalton Earl (Troupsburg, N.Y.) provided a nice spark off the bench, going 1-1 with an RBI and two runs scored.
SUNDAY
Sunday started out on a low note for the Wildcats. The team lost the first game to Lancaster 18-4 after allowing six runs in the top of the first. Nothing went the Wildcats way. The Bison held the Wildcats to eight hits in the game. The defense for SUNY Poly made five errors, and the pitching staff allowed 13 walks.
The Cats' would land on their feet after taking the tumble in game one. The team rallied behind a great pitching performance from sophomore Ryan Kelly (Williston Park, N.Y.) who threw a complete game shutout. Kelly allowed five hits and had five strikeouts in the game. He showed a mastery of his pitches, keeping the hot Lancaster bats off balance while dominating the strike zone. The Wildcat offense did their part, giving Kelly the run support that he needed. They scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and another three in the fifth. Dante Rose (Utica, N.Y.) went 2-2 at the plate and scored two runs. Tyler Vyce went 2-3 and had two RBIs in the game. Connor Passalacqua (Whitestown, N.Y.) also went 2-3 with an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Final score of the game was 5-0.
The Wildcats are now 12-13 on the season. They are 4-2 in the NEAC and currently sit in third place in the NEAC. The team will be back in action on Wednesday when they will host local rival Utica College for a double header at Peter A. Spina Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00.
