Cortland, N.Y.: The SUNY Cobleskill baseball team opened play on Saturday afternoon by taking to the road to meet the SUNYAC and regional power SUNY Cortland for a non-conference doubleheader. The Fighting Tigers posted an impressive split with their hosts losing the first game by a score of 9-0 then pulling a major upset over the Red Dragons in the nightcap by a 5-4 margin. With the win Cobleskill opens the campaign at 1-1 overall on the year while Cortland is now 5-3 overall on the year.

In the opener the Fighting Tigers fell behind 2-0 in the first inning and never were able to catch up as Red Dragon pitchers limited Cobleskill to eight scattered singles in the contest.

The visitor's offense was led by senior left fielder Jayson Maxwell, Newport, N.Y., Notre Dame High School, who went 3-for-4 in the contest notching three singles while sophomore second baseman Connor Mann, Hempstead, Md., Hereford High School, was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.

In the nightcap, Cobleskill struck first with two outs in the first inning when junior shortstop Eddy Garcia, Bronx, N.Y., World View High School, singled, stole second base then scored when left fielder Jayson Maxwell ripped a single to left then took second on the throw to the plate. Maxwell subsequently scored on single by his younger brother sophomore designated hitter Connor Maxwell, Newport, N.Y., West Canada Valley High School. Connor Maxwell then advanced to third base on a hit-and-run play when senior first baseman Jarrod Williams, Baldwinsville, N.Y., C.W. Baker High School/Finger Lakes Community College, singled to right field then scored on a single by junior right fielder Samuel Gutierrez, Bayside, N.Y., Martin Van Buren High School/Queensborough Community College, to give the visitors an early 3-0 advantage.

After Cortland scored a run in the bottom of the frame, the Fighting Tigers struck for two runs in the top of the second when freshman catcher Matthew Snyder, Latham, N.Y., Shaker High School, led off with a double then scored when with one out senior center fielder Nick Thomas, Scotia, N.Y., Scotia-Glenville High School/Hudson Valley Community College, blasted his first homer of the season, his seventh career Cobleskill home run, to make it 5-1.

The Fighting Tiger pitching staff then held on to the lead and secure the win as senior southpaw Devin Lewis, Cobleskill, N.Y., Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, recorded the victory going five innings and allowing three earned runs on three hits striking out two Cortland hitters.  Then senior Ethan Straub, Oswego, N.Y., Hannibal High School/Jefferson Community College, earned the save by going two innings and allowing only one earned run to nail down the win.

Every player in the Cobleskill line-up recorded a hit in the contest led by Nick Thomas who went 2-for-4 with two RBI with a homer and a run scored and by Samuel Gutierrez who was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. The Maxwell brothers also played a major role in the upset victory as Jayson was 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI with Connor going 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI as part of the 11-hit attack.     

The Orange & Black will next be in action on Saturday April 3 when they host North Atlantic Conference (NAC) rival SUNY Canton at Fighting Tiger Field beginning at 12:00 p.m.  Due to pandemic restrictions no spectators will be allowed at any Fighting Tiger home contests.