AURORA, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly baseball team earned a series win this weekend at Wells College to open up the 2022 season. In game one the Wildcat offense plated nine, and the pitchers were lights out to earn a 9-1 win. In game two, a closely contested game came right down to the wire and Wells earned a  3-2 win on a walk-off sacrifice fly. Game three was all Wildcats as the offense and pitching dominated for Poly, leading to a 13-3 win to close out the series. The Wildcats are now 2-1 this season.

GAME ONE:

SUNY Poly - 9

Wells - 1 

WP: Paul Morgan (1-0)

SV: Salvatore Mecca (1)

In the first game of the series, the Wildcats jumped ahead in the second inning, hanging a four spot on the scoreboard on a pair of passed balls and a 2 RBI single by Christopher Ling.

Paul Morgan, who was the starter and pitcher of record for the Wildcats had an outstanding outing, earning his first collegiate win allowing no earned runs in three innings of work. He struck out two batters and allowed three hits.  

SUNY Poly would strike in the third, scoring a run on an RBI single by Carter Romansky and again in the fourth, scoring four runs thanks to three consecutive doubles. Bradley Dietz started with a double that drove home Christopher Ling, Alexander Bonacci doubled in the next at-bat to score Dietz. Jake Montrose drove in Bonacci with a double of his own and then scored on a wild pitch to make it a 9-1 game. 

The lone Wells College run in the game was in the bottom of the third when Max Odum lined a single to the outfield to drive home his brother Zack Odum. 

Salvatore Mecca shut the door for the Wildcats, earning a four-inning save in his first career outing for the Wildcats. He allowed no hits, no runs, struck out four, and did not walk a batter.

OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES: 

• Christopher Ling started his 2022 campaign with a 2-3 day at the plate with an RBI and a run scored.

• Paul Barber went 3-3 with two runs scored and a double. 

• Carter Romansky went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. 

GAME TWO: 

SUNY Poly - 2

Wells - 3

WP: Austin Jordan (1-1) 

In game two, the pitching was solid for both sides. Freshman Aaron Kifer got the start for the Wildcats, going 3.2 innings and allowing just one run while striking out three batters. Connor Carr-Matthews went five strong innings for the Express, allowing just two hits and one run. 

The Wildcats got on the board first, scoring a run in the top of the fourth on an RBI groundout to third base by Paul Barber. 

Wells answered right back in the bottom of the fourth when John Valinoti drove home, Bradley Mills, with an RBI double into the gap. 

In the top of the sixth, Poly took a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly to center field by Don Vento that drove home Paul Barber. 

Ryan Secor came into the game in the fourth inning for the Wildcats and was great. He allowed an earned run in three innings of work. Secor struck out three batters and allowed just three hits in his first collegiate game. 

The game was won by Wells in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh inning. After a pop-up to first base to start the inning, an error allowed Justin Colindres to reach base for the Express. Colindres advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI double by Zack Odum to tie the game at 2-2. After an intentional walk to the three-hitter for the Express and a hit by a pitch loaded the bases, the table was set for Juan Correa to be the hero. With one out in the inning, Correa delivered the game-winning run with sacrifice fly to deep right field.

GAME THREE:   

SUNY Poly - 13

Wells - 3

WP: Carter Romansky (1-0) 

SV: Ethan Walker (1)

In the rubber game of the three-game series, the Wildcats and the Express played a tight first four innings. Wells was able to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Izquierdo that scored Max Odum. 

Michael Johnson got the start on the mound for the Wildcats and threw three innings, earning a no-decision. He allowed one earned run and struck out a pair of batters in his first appearance of the season. 

The Wildcat offense exploded in the late innings scoring two runs in the fifth, two in the sixth, three in the seventh, four in the eighth, and one in the ninth to make what was a close game through four innings into a blowout. 

Carter Romansky was lights out on the mound in the middle innings. He threw three innings, allowed one hit, and struck out seven batters. Romansky was the pitcher of record for the Wildcats, earning his first win of the season. 

Ethan Walker shut the door for the Wildcats on the mound. He pitched three innings, allowed one earned run, three hits, and struck out four batters. He earned his first collegiate save. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES: 

• Bradley Dietz went 2-3 with a double, three runs scored, an RBI, and a pair of walks.

• Christopher Ling went 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. 

• Alexander Bonacci went 2-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. 

• Jake Montrose went 2-3 with a game-high four RBIs and two runs scored. He also drew a walk in the game. 

• Josh Komacek had a pair of hits, including his first career home run in the eighth inning. He drove in three runs in the game. 

• Paul Barber hit a two-run home run in the seventh. He also had a walk in the game. 

UP NEXT: 

The Wildcats will head down to Winter Haven Florida on Friday, March 11th for their spring break trip to the Russ Matt College Baseball Invitational. The Wildcats will play nine games in seven days. The Wildcat's first game down south will be on Saturday, March 12th against Curry. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled for a 4:30 PM first pitch.  

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SUNY Poly is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience programs at its Albany campus, 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 campus; 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 hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.