Cobleskill, N.Y.: The SUNY Cobleskill baseball team closed the home portion of their 2019 regular season on Tuesday by splitting a doubleheader with the Hawks of Hilbert College in non-league action at Fighting Tiger Field losing the first game by a 6-4 margin then coming from behind to take the second game by a score of 8-7. With the split the Fighting Tigers move to 15-19 overall on the season while the Hawks close their 2019 campaign with an 8-26 overall record.

The Fighting Tigers fell behind in the opener 4-0 early before tying the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when freshman catcher Felix Pacheco, Bronx, N.Y., James Monroe High School, scored on an RBI groundout by freshman right fielder River Sisson, Cobleskill, N.Y., Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, which evened the contest at 4-4.
However that would be as close as Cobleskill would come as the Hawks would score solo runs in the fifth and seventh innings to secure the victory.

On offense the Orange & Black were led by freshman designated hitter D.J. McMahon, Poestenkill, N.Y. La Salle Institute, who went 2-for-3 with a RBI and by sophomore first baseman Jacob Hoffee, Lyndonville, N.Y., Lyndonville High School, who went 2-for-3 with double and a run scored. Sophomore shortstop Eddie Garcia, Bronx, N.Y. World View High School, was also a factor in the game going 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a RBI.

In the nightcap the Fighting Tigers struck for four runs in the first inning to take a 4-3 lead but heading into the bottom of the six they found themselves trailing 7-4 with time starting to run out.

What followed was a classic comeback as first baseman Jacob Hoffee led off with a single followed by a walk by center fielder River Sisson. After catcher D.J. McMahon flied out; Hoffee and Sisson advanced bases on a wild pitch putting runners on second and third with one out for sophomore right fielder Jason Swredoski, Syracuse, N.Y., East Syracuse-Minoa High School, who beat out a soft hit single to the left side of the infield scoring Hoffee and advancing Sisson to third base.

With runners on first and third shortstop Eddie Garcia, who had entered the game in the top of the inning as a defensive replacement, stepped to the plate and promptly blasted a double off the center field wall to score Sisson and Swredoski with the latter making fall away slide to avoid being tagged out to tie the score.

Now with the score even at 7-7 sophomore designated hitter Mitchell Holmes, Dartmouth, Mass, Bristol County Agricultural High School, flew out to center field bringing up freshman second baseman Joseph Ciatto, Patterson, N.Y., Carmel High School, with two outs and the lead run at second. Ciatto grounded a ball to the shortstop and busted hard out of the batter's box down the line forcing the Hawk defender to rush his throw which led to a collision between Ciatto and the Hilbert first baseman and the ball ending up in foul territory allowing the speedy Garcia to score the lead run to make it 8-7 Cobleskill.

Now holding the lead, Cobleskill turned to freshman reliever Dylan Stauffer, Staten Island, N.Y., Moore Catholic High School, who had come on in the sixth inning, to close out the visitors. Stauffer promptly set the Hawks down in order in the seventh to secure the win finishing with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless work to improve his record to 2-0 on the season.

Offensively Eddie Garcia was the hero going 1-for-1 with a double, two RBI and the winning run scored while Jason Sweredoski went 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and a RBI. Junior left fielder Jayson Maxwell, Newport, N.Y., Notre Dame Academy, was also a factor in the win going 2-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI while Jacob Hoffee finished the game going 2-for-3 with a run scored.

The Fighting Tigers will next be in action over the weekend when they travel to Aurora, N.Y. for a three-game North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) series, with a conference play-off bid on the line, versus The Express of Wells College beginning with a doubleheader on Friday May 3^rd beginning at 2:00 p.m. followed by a solo game on Saturday May 4^th starting at 1:00 p.m.