Auburndale, Fla.: The SUNY Cobleskill baseball team gave the nation's number one ranked team the Gulls of Endicott College everything they could handle on Thursday at the 2024 Russ Matt Central Florida Invitational losing 5-3. The Gulls were recently ranked number one on Wednesday March 19 in the D3Baseball.com Top 25 Poll. With the loss the Fighting Tigers fall to 3-13 overall on the year while the Gulls improve to 11-1 on the campaign.
 
Trailing 1-0 to the nation's top ranked team in the top of the seventh with two outs, the Fighting Tigers took the lead when sophomore first baseman Dylan Schwam, Cooper City, Fla., South Plantation High School, doubled to right then scored when senior second baseman Matt Snyder, Latham, N.Y., Shaker High School, pulled a triple down the right field line to tie the contest at 1-1. Cobleskill then took the lead when sophomore left fielder Logan Firment, Andes, N.Y., South Kortright High School, singled the left to give the Orange & Black the lead at 2-1.
 
In the bottom of the frame Endicott responded when with two outs and a runner on first junior first baseman Danny MacDougall, Taunton, Mass., Taunton High School, blasted a two-run to left field to make it 3-2 Gulls.
 
The Fighting Tigers showed their metal in the top of the eighth when junior centerfielder Zach Ducorsky, Oceanside, N.Y., Oceanside High School, led off with a single to left and with one out advanced to third on a single off the bat of senior shortstop David Flora, Windsor, N.Y., Windsor High School/Herkimer Community College.
 
Then Ducorsky, who was the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) stolen base leader in 2023, channeled his inner Ricky Henderson surprising Endicott with a daring steal of home plate to tie the game at 3-3 going into the bottom of the eighth.
 
However, the upset win was not meant to be for the Fighting Tigers as the Gulls tallied twice in the bottom of the eighth then retired Cobleskill in order in the ninth to preserve the 5-3 victory.
 
Making his first start on the mound since his freshman year due to injury, junior right hander Stephan Tejada, Queens, N.Y., High School for Construction Technologies, turned in a strong effort going seven innings allowing three earned runs on six hits while striking out five and walking three.
 
The Fighting Tigers will next close out their road trip to the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Friday March 22 when they meet the Presidents of Washington & Jefferson with first pitch scheduled for 12:45 p.m.