ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The SUNY Cobleskill baseball team hit the road for a non-conference doubleheader against Union College on Saturday afternoon at Bard College, but the Fighting Tigers came up short, dropping both games to the Garnet Chargers.
Game One: Cobleskill 2, Union 12
Union set the tone early, jumping out to a 4-0 lead through two innings. Cobleskill's pitching staff settled in during the third, recording a quick three outs to keep the game within reach. However, the Tigers struggled to capitalize on offensive opportunities, leaving runners stranded in key moments.
Cobleskill got on the board in the fifth when
Zach Papanikolatos (Patchoque, NY/Patchoque-Medford) laced a single to center, driving in
Ryan Lansing (Cooperstown, NY) and
Christian Tedford (Coxsackie, NY/Coxsackie Athens) to cut the deficit to 5-2. But Union put the game out of reach with a six-run rally in the sixth, sealing a 12-2 victory.
Papanikolatos finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs, while Tedford and senior
David Flora (Windsor, NY) each doubled. Lansing also swiped a bag. On the mound,
Dylan Schwam (Cooper City, FL/South Plantation) took the loss, allowing four runs on three hits over three innings.
Evan Balbera (Patchoque, NY/Patchoque-Medford),
Connor Mulligan (Cheshire, NY), and
Declan Krogman (New York, NY/Xavier) all saw action in relief, with Mulligan surrendering four runs on two hits..
Game Two: Cobleskill 4, Union 6
Cobleskill came out swinging in the second game, plating three runs in the first inning.
Korin Laurilla (East Grenbush, NY/Columbia) delivered a clutch single up the middle to bring home Flora and Lansing, then later scored on a wild pitch to give the Tigers an early 3-0 lead.
Union chipped away with a run in the bottom of the first before breaking through in the fifth with a four-run rally to take a 5-3 advantage. The Garnet Chargers tacked on another run in the sixth, but Cobleskill responded as
Logan Firment (Andes, NY/South Kortright) ripped an RBI single to left, scoring
Zach Ducorsky (Oceanside, NY) to make it a 6-4 game. However, Union's bullpen slammed the door in the final frame, with their closer recording two strikeouts to secure the win.
Laurilla finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while
Cole Platt (Oneonta, NY) went 1-for-3 with a triple. Firment, Lansing, and Ducorsky each added hits, and Lansing and
Trevor Grieb (Red Hook, NY) stole a base apiece.
Logan Scott (Binghamton, NY) turned in a solid start, allowing just one run on two hits over four innings while striking out two. Ries Brammer (Cohoes, NY/CBA Albany) took the loss in relief after giving up four runs on three hits in one inning of work, while
Adam Champlin (South Kortright, NY) also saw action out of the bullpen.
Up Next
The Fighting Tigers head south to Florida for the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, where they will take on Penn State Brandywine on Wednesday, March 12. The trip will provide Cobleskill with valuable experience as they continue their early-season schedule and look to sharpen their play on both sides of the ball.
