Let’s play two? College baseball hits the field for spring in Mohawk Valley

With students back on campus at area colleges, so, too, are their spring sports teams, many of which headed south. The northern portion of the baseball schedule is now under way with the formal start of spring.

Herkimer College had postponed home games over the weekend – and has already postponed Thursday doubleheader at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls – and played its first games in its home state Tuesday when the Generals swept a pair of on-campus games at SUNY-Adirondack.

Playing in Queensbury, the Generals (8-3) rallied to win the first game 25-13 and beat the Timberwolves (4-8) 5-1 in the second.

Herkimer, ranked third in the NJCAA’s preseason Division III poll and No. 13 in the first regular season poll released Monday, had swept three games from Massachusetts’ Massasoit Community College to finish a week of competition in Florida.

The Generals started well Tuesday, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning of their first game. The Timberwolves, coming in with three straight losses including two to Rockland Community College in their home opener, answered with six runs in the bottom of the inning and two more in the second.

Herkimer cut its deficit to one run in the top of the fourth inning, then gave up five in the bottom of the inning. Trailing 13-9, entering the sixth, the Generals sent 20 batters to the plate and scored 16 runs, 13 of them before No. 14 and 15 crossed the plate on the first out of the inning, Dylan Wolfson’s sacrifice fly to deep right field.

The 16-run inning saw Shiryu Sato lead off with one walk, draw a second, score twice, and drive in a run with a double the third time he batted. Adirondack changed pitchers three times before the first out. The inning started with four walks and a hit batter before Thomas Lemonis lined a two-run single off the glove of the shortstop, tying the game with the first ball put in play.

Jacob Severson drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double after Herkimer had taken a 14-13 lead on Jaden Madrid’s walk. Marvin Hill added a two-run triple, and Lemonis hit a two-run double before scoring the second run on Wolfson’s fly ball.

Herkimer had six of its 10 hits in the big inning. Sato finished the game with three hits, three runs and three RBI, and reached base five times; Hill had two hits, three runs and three RBI; Severson drove in four runs; Michael Schleider scored four runs; and Obiel Sanchez drew three of the team’s 16 walks and scored three times.

Chase Regan, a sophomore from Little Falls and the third Herkimer pitcher, pitched the final 2 1/3 innings in relief and earned his first collegiate victory.

Evan Staroba pitched a complete game and struck out 14 Adirondack batters in the second game. Sato had two more hits, drew a walk and scored a run, and Zowen Collins scored two runs. The Generals scored first again, and broke a 1-1 tie with four runs in the fifth inning.

Herkimer heads to Binghamton for a Saturday doubleheader at Broome, and will make its next attempt to play at home against Adirondack April 1.

Elsewhere, Mohawk Valley Community College (1-12) was swept by Cayuga Community College over the weekend in Auburn, and will play the second half of its series against Jefferson Community College at Accelerate Sports Saturday.

Utica University (7-4-1) has two wins over SUNY Poly (4-9) and a tie with Skidmore College at home. The Pioneers postponed Wednesday’s games against SUNY-Canton, and next play at Elmira College this weekend; they next play at home April 2 against Russell Sage College.

SUNY Poly plays at Alfred University this weekend and has an April 2 doubleheader at home against St. John Fisher College.

Hamilton College (8-4) remains in Florida this week and plays at home against SUNY-Oneonta April 1.

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