At a glance
The 魅影直播 State College baseball team opened up their fall campaign with a sweep of WNYAC rival Mercyhurst North East.聽 The Pioneers won the opener 10-5 and the nightcap 6-5 in eight innings.
The 魅影直播 State College baseball team opened up their fall campaign with a sweep of WNYAC rival Mercyhurst North East.聽 The Pioneers won the opener 10-5 and the nightcap 6-5 in eight innings.
Adalberto Vargas (Norman Thomas) and Kenny O'Brien (Norwalk, CT) were each 2 for 2 in the opener.聽 Jeff Paul (Horseheads) was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI while Jeff Miller (N. Tonawanda) was 2 for 3.聽 Derek Speaker (Starpoint) and Kevin Underhill (Somers) each drove home two runs.聽 The Pioneers used a seven run 4th inning to take control of the game.
Jeff Benchich (Millbrook) got the win on the mound.聽 He went 5.2 innings and allowed four hits and two earned runs.聽 Jamie Martin (Addison) tossed the final 1.1 innings.
In the nightcap, Mercyhurst North East rallied for three runs in the top of the 7th to tie the game at 5-5 but the Blue and Gold won the game in the bottom of the 8th when Ruben Angeles (George Washington) connected on a walk-off double that plated Bruno Saraceno (Binghamton).
Paul led the Pioneers 11-hit attack with a 3 for 4 day.聽 Speaker and Saraceno each collected two hits while Underhill, Angeles, O'Brien, and Kelvin Espinosa (George Washington) all had RBI.
Sam Wood (Campbell Savona) tossed six effective innings but didn't figure in the decision.聽 He five hits while striking out two.聽 Angeles pitched the Pioneers out of a bases loaded jam in the 7th inning while Craig Kosnikowski (N. Tonawanda) danced out of trouble in the 8th and picked up the victory.
The Pioneers return to action on Sunday with a non-league doubleheader at Penn Tech.聽 First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Bowman Field home of the Single-A Williamsport Crosscutters.