MYRTLE BEACH S.C. -- Garrett Stuckey led off the second game of the day with a long homerun to left field, and Tyler Curtis and Bryce Firkins would both add long balls as the Fredonia State baseball team picked up a split with Colby-Sawyer in Myrtle Beach on Friday. Morgan Zientara tossed four shutout innings in his first start of the season. The Devils dropped the first game, 5-4, in nine innings of a scheduled seven-inning contest.

Game 1 
Colby-Sawyer took advantage of Fredonia State miscues to take a 2-0 lead in the second. A pair of walks, a wild pitch, and an error led to two unearned runs off starting pitcher Nate O'Brochta.

The game would stay that way through five innings when O'Brochta would exit. He went five innings and struck out five batters.

In the top of the sixth, a hit by pitch and a walk put two on with one out for the Blue Devils. Kyle Tedford then knocked his first round tripper of the year as Fredonia State took a 3-2 lead.

Connor Burkestone entered the game on the mound for the Devils and gave up a game-tying homerun to the first batter.

The Devils got a run back in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Christian Pagano. 

Colby-Sawyer again evened the game with a run in th bottom of the seventh off Burkestone, making it 4-4 and sending it to extras. Peyton Ahlstrom would finish the inning for the Devils to avoid further damage.

After a scoreless eighth, the Devils got a leadoff single from Stuckey, but could not score.

For the Chargers, with two out, a single and double led to the winning run with Dylan Watson sliding just under the tag to end the game. 

Burkestone went 2 2/3 innings, giving up two runs, and Ahlstrom went one inning, striking out two and taking the loss.


Game 2
The second game was all Blue Devils. Stuckey led off the bottom of the first depositing the first pitch he saw over the left-field wall for his second homerun of the year. Fredonia State scored four times in the first.

The Devils would get four strong innings from Zientara. He surrendered four hits and struck out three, leaving the game with a 6-0 lead.

The Devils would tack on three more in the sixth to go up 9-0. 

Christian Brown came on in relief, striking out a pair in his first inning. He would leave the next inning with no outs and the bases loaded, and would be charged with two earned runs. Nate Zicari came on to finish the game, going two innings, striking out two and allowing one run.

The Chargers are now 4-5, while the Devils even up at 4-4.

Fredonia State takes on Olivet on Friday at 3 p.m.