PLATTSBURGH HOLDS OFF SAINTS IN 7-6 WIN

April 8: SUNY Plattsburgh took a 7-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning in its non-league game with St. Lawrence and then held off a pair of Saint rallies for a 7-6 NCAA Division III win at the Saints’ Tom Fay Field Tuesday afternoon.

 

The Saints had the potential go-ahead runs on second and third in both the bottom of the eighth and the bottom of the ninth, but Plattsburgh escaped both jams to improve to 5-11 on the season.

 

Right fielder Erik Schwind made a game-saving shoe top catch on Chris Hewins’ sinking liner to help the Cardinals out of the eighth inning jam and relief pitcher Billy Davis induced a one-out ground out with runners on second and third and then got a game-ending strikeout to earn the save.

 

Starter Mark Sidoti earned the win for Plattsburgh, pitching six innings. Saint rookie starter Dan Ludwig took the loss as Plattsburgh put up four runs in the second inning to set the stage for its early lead. Zack White hit a two-run triple for Plattsburgh in the big second inning. Plattsburgh added a run in the top of the third on Crockett Pack’s single.

 

The Saints came back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth as Mike Root led off with a single and scored on Garrett Fitzgerald’s triple with Fitzgerald scoring on Ryan Kimber’s single. SLU cut the lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth on Charlie Cannan’s run scoring single.

 

A run-scoring ground out and an error produced the two Plattsburgh runs in the top of the seventh, but the Saints got one right back against reliever Corey Johnston when Chris Hewins laid down a bunt single, stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on Cannan’s single.

 

The Saints cut it to a one-run lead with two in the bottom of the eighth as Fitzgerald produced a run scoring single

and the other run scored on an error, but Schwind’s catch prevented a bigger inning for the Saints.

 

Kirt Broedel was solid in relief for the Saints with five innings pitched adn three strikeouts, while Cannan allowed one hit in two innings of work on the mound.

 

SLU, now 7-10 overall, plays a Liberty League doubleheader at Union on Wednesday.

 

 

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