LAKELAND, Fla. - The SUNY Poly baseball team opened up their annual spring trip to the RussMatt Baseball Tournament on Saturday with a 12-2 loss to the Russell Sage College Gators. The Wildcats took an early lead and held it through three and a half innings, but a big fourth inning lit a fire under the Gator offense who scored 12 unanswered runs to earn their fourth win of the season. The Wildcats are now 0-3 this season. The Gators improved to 4-7.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

After a scoreless first inning, SUNY Poly got on the board first in the top of the second with a double by Ethan Walker to score James Lynch. The Wildcats tacked on another run in the top of the fourth on a James Lynch sacrifice fly that scored Paul Barber.

Sage answered back with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. After Leandro Guzman scored on a 6-4-3 double play, the gators scored four runs with two outs on an RBI single, a pair of walked-in runs, an error, and an RBI double.

Sage added two more runs in the fifth inning and three more in the seventh inning. The game ended in the bottom of the eighth when Sage drove in two runs to take a 10-run lead, which is a mercy rule in the RussMatt Tournament.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Frank Colletta had an impressive performance for Sage, going 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI
• Leandro Guzman had a big game for Sage as well, going 2-for-2 with two doubles and three RBIs
• Owen Murphy had a triple and two runs scored for Sage
• James Lynch had a solid game for SUNY Poly, going 1-for-3 with a double, and an RBI on a sacrifice fly
• Ethan Walker had a double and an RBI for SUNY Poly
• Aaron Kifer got the start and the loss on the bump for SUNY Poly. He gave up four runs on six hits in 3.2 innings pitched.
• Sage used three pitchers in the game, with Ricky Parks getting the start and the win pitching four scoreless innings before being relieved by Cameron Anderson and Michael Karpinski.

UP NEXT:

The Wildcats will be back in action on Sunday when they take on Cornell College at Lake Myrtle Park Field #5. The single nine-inning game is scheduled for a 10:00 AM 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, game design, 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.