FREDONIA, N.Y. -- The Fredonia State baseball team picked up a SUNYAC win over New Paltz on Saturday. Tied 6-all in the bottom of the seventh, an RBI single by
Matt Wojcik plated the go-ahead run. The Devils tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth before freshman
Morgan Zientara pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save of the season.
Tyler Curtis was one of five Devils with two hits, and drove in a team-high three runs. Wojcik,
Garrett Stuckey,
Kyle Tedford, and
AJ Roach also had two hits as the Devils knocked out 13 safeties.
Nate O'Brochta started on the mound for the Devils. He went four innings and surrendered four runs. A trio of freshmen --
Owen Ludwig,
Nick Syposs, and Zientara -- surrendered two runs over the final five innings. Syposs worked out a seventh-inning jam and tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball for the win. New Paltz got two runners on in the ninth before Zientara struck out the final batter to end the game.
After the Hawks scored twice in the first inning, Curtis drove in
Jake Wentland and Stuckey in the bottom half to tie things at 2-2. The teams also traded a run apiece in the second -- Fredonia State using a Tedford double to drive in Roach.
New Paltz tacked on a run in the fourth to go up 4-3.
The Devils took their first lead with a three-run sixth. Tedford was issued a free pass with the bases loaded, and Stuckey singled in two more as the Devils went up 6-4.
The Hawks would respond by scoring two runs off Ludwig in his third inning of work. Ludwig would face a bit of tough luck. After surrendering a pair of infield hits, the Devils attempted to nail the runner at third on the next play, a sacrifice bunt attempt, but would not successfully get the out. A shallow fly ball and a single would plate two runs and spell the end for Ludwig. Syposs entered and induced a double play to end the threat.
Wojcik's big hit put the Devils up for good in the seventh. The two-run eight came courtesy of a sacrifice fly by Wentland, and a single by Curtis.
New Paltz had 10 hits, with Ortiz collecting three to go along with three RBI. They used five pitchers over eight innings of work.
The same two teams play a doubleheader on Saturday.
