COBLESKILL, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly baseball team earned a key split with SUNY Cobleskill on Sunday in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play. The Wildcats fell to the tigers in game one on an extra-innings walk-off homerun 5-3. Poly would bounce back in a big way, winning game two 12-7 thanks in part to some hot bats and an aggressive offensive approach. The Wildcats are now 9-10 this season with an 8-7 NAC record. 

GAME 1: 

The first game of the doubleheader got out to a bit of a rocky start for Poly. Cobleskill plated two early runs to take a 2-0 lead. Dylan Sheely struggled to find his groove early, but settled in and was dominant from the third inning on. The Wildcat offense was slow to start, but a pair of RBI singles by Jake Montrose and Bradley Dietz tied the game up to force an extra frame. In the eighth, a walk, a wild pitch, and an intentional walk gave Cobleskill a solid opportunity to walk off with runners on first and second with no one out. Andrew Thompson kept his composure on the mound despite the tough situation and forced two weak pop-ups to put the Wildcats an out away from escaping the jam. Unfortunately, Samuel Guttierrez had other plans. He hit a three-run walk-off home run to win the game for the Tigers. 

GAME NOTES: 

• SUNY Poly had 11 hits in the loss. Five Wildcats had a multiple-hit game.

• Dylan Sheely went seven strong innings for the Wildcats. The senior had 10 strikeouts and allowed two earned runs. 

• Chris Ling continued his hot streak with a pair of singles in the game. 

• Bradley Dietz had a double, a single, and an RBI. 

• Kyle Liddy went 2-4 with a double. He also had a stolen base. 

• Jake Montrose had two hits in three plate appearances. He also drove in a run.

• Paul Barber had a pair of singles for the 'Cats. 

• Zack Hyland went 1-2 with a run scored. 

• Cobleskill's Devin Lewis earned the win on the mound. He threw 3.1 innings in relief with four strikeouts. 

• Samuel Gutierrez went 2-3 with a double and a home run for Cobleskill. His home run was a walk-off in the eighth. 

• Stephen Tejada went 2-3 with a double and an RBI. 

GAME 2: 

Poly came out of the gates ready to play in game two. The Wildcats put up a two-spot in the first frame thanks to some aggressive baserunning and a few mistakes by the Tigers in the field. Cobleskill tied the game with a run in the bottom of the first and one in the second. The Tigers took the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a Steven Tejada RBI single and a wild pitch. The deficit was quickly overcome thanks to a big offensive output by SUNY Poly who scored three runs in the fifth, four runs in the sixth, and three runs in the seventh to take a 12-7 advantage. Despite some bumps in the road, Ci'an Kenny kept the Wildcats right in the game throughout his six innings of work. Kyle Liddy came in for the Wildcats in the seventh to secure the much-needed win. 

GAME NOTES: 

• SUNY Poly had a season-high seven stolen bases in the game on eight stolen base attempts. 

• Paul Barber hit his first career home run for the Wildcats in the top of the seventh inning to give SUNY Poly some much-needed security runs. He went 1-4 with a pair of RBIs.

• Ci'an Kenny threw six innings for the Wildcats and earned the win. He had two strikeouts. The win puts his season record at 2-1. 

• Chris Ling had another fantastic game for the Wildcats. The freshman went 3-3 with a walk and a game-high four RBIs. He also stole two bases. 

• Michael Cough had a pair of hits for the 'Cats. He scored twice and stole a base.

• Zack Hyland went 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. 

UP NEXT: 

With the win in game two, the Wildcats clinched the number two seed in the NAC West Division. SUNY Poly will face Cobleskill in the best-of-three NAC West Semifinal series next weekend for a spot in the NAC Championship Series. The series schedule is TBD.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and over 300 corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.