Bangor, Maine: After losing the opening game of the 2021 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Men's Baseball Championship series by a 5-2 margin to the host Eagles of Husson University; the SUNY Cobleskill baseball team rallied facing elimination, from a 2-1 ninth inning deficit to post a 3-2 victory and force the series to a game three on Friday afternoon. The game will decide the conference's overall champion and who will receive the league's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Tournament. With the split the Fighting Tigers move to 15-8 overall on the year while the Eagles are now 21-7 overall on the season.  

In the opener after scoring a run on a pair of Eagle errors in the first inning, the Fighting Tigers moved to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning when junior centerfielder River Sisson, Cobleskill, N.Y., Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, ripped a two-out double to left to score senior left fielder Jayson Maxwell, Newport, N.Y., Notre Dame High School, who had singled.

But the Fighting Tiger advantage was short-lived as the host Eagles struck for three runs in the bottom of the frame as Husson senior third baseman Chris Ewanik, Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada, St. Francis Xavier/University of Lethbridge, belted a two-run homer in the inning.

From there the home team tacked on runs in the seventh and the eighth innings in support of senior southpaw Cam Graham, Littleton, Maine, Holton High School, who improved to 5-1 overall on the season by allowing two unearned runs on five hits striking out six and walking one with relief help form freshman Ryan Robb, Rocky Hill, Conn., Rocky Hill High School, who worked a clean ninth inning to earn the save.

Fighting Tiger senior Jarrod Williams, Baldwinsville, N.Y., C.W. Baker High School/Finger Lakes Community College, took the loss allowing four earned runs in 7.1 innings of work striking out two while walking one.
At the plate, Jayson Maxwell went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored to lead Cobleskill.  

In the nightcap Fighting Tigers struck first when senior right fielder Nick Thomas, Scotia, N.Y., Scotia-Glenville High School/Hudson Valley Community College, singled with one out then stole second base before scoring on a two-out single to right-center field by sophomore first baseman Frank Leger, Bronx, N.Y., All-Hallows High School, to make it 1-0 Cobleskill.

The home team tied the score in the sixth inning when freshman designated hitter Jackson Curtis, Ellsworth, Maine, Ellsworth High School, singled up the middle to score senior first baseman Brandon Smith, Winterport, Maine, Hampden Academy, with the tying run.

The score remained knotted at 1-1 until the top of the ninth inning when with one out Eagle junior left fielder Nick Swift, Bradley, Maine, Old Town High School, singled off Fighting Tiger senior starter Devin Lewis, Cobleskill, N.Y., Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, which led to Head Coach Lance Ratchford removing Lewis for freshman Stephen Tejada, Queens, N.Y. High School Construction, threw a wild pitch which advanced Lewis to second with the lead run.

Tejada then walked Husson freshman second baseman Akira Warren, Hallowell, Maine, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, which led to Cobleskill going to the bullpen again bringing in freshman Shane Ladden, West Boylston, Mass., West Boylston High School, to shut the home team down.

On Ladden's second pitch to junior Kobe Rogerson, Brewer, Maine, Brewer High School, the Eagle shortstop ripped a hard grounder towards right field that Cobleskill sophomore second baseman Connor Mann, Hampstead, Md., Hereford High School, made a diving stop on but then threw the ball away which led to Warren scoring to give the home team a 2-1 lead and runners on second and third.  

Ladden then retired the next two batters to send the game to the bottom of the ninth with Cobleskill now trailing 2-1.

Now leading the contest in the final inning, the Eagles once again turned to freshman closer Ryan Robb who had not blown a saw in five attempts to go with an impressive 0.93 ERA on the year.

Nick Thomas led off the Fighting Tiger ninth by lining a single to right field. Following Thomas's single, Jayson Maxwell battled Robb and on the seventh pitch of the at-bat laced a double down the left field line which put runners on second and third with no outs for Frank Leger whom the Eagles intentionally walked to get to junior shortstop Eddy Garcia, Bronx, N.Y., World View High School.

With the infield drawn in, Garcia hit a soft chopper to Kobe Rogerson at short that Rogerson bobbled allowing Nick Thomas to score and tie the game at 2-2 bringing up Cobleskill junior centerfielder River Sisson, Cobleskill, N.Y., Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, with no outs and the game on the line.

After Sisson took his first pitch for a ball, Robb uncorked a fastball high over his catcher's reach allowing Jayson Maxwell to score from third to give the Orange & Black the walk-off win and force a Friday elimination game.

Despite not getting the decision Devin Lewis turned in a quality start in the potential elimination game going 8.1 innings allowing one earned run on six hits striking out six and walking five while Shane Ladden posted his first collegiate win in relief.
Nick Thomas was the team's offensive catalyst going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base while Jayson Maxwell was 1-fo-4 with a double and a run scored. Frank Leger was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run batted in in the victory.

The Fighting Tigers and the Eagles will next square off for the NAC Championship on Friday afternoon beginning at 12:00 p.m. at Husson's Dr. John W. Winkin Sports Complex's Alfond Diamond. Fans will be allowed to attend but must be masked and the game will be live-streamed via the Husson Sports Network at:  https://husson.prestosports.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/boxscores/20210521_3n8k.xml.