FIGHTING TIGER BASEBALL UPSETS ITASCA IN SEASON OPENER

For the first time in program history the SUNY Cobleskill baseball program has opened the season with a win over a nationally ranked opponent defeating defending NJCAA Region XIII Division III champion Itasca Community College from Grand Rapids, MN yesterday in Port Charlotte, FL by a score of 5-3 in the first game of a doubleheader. The number thirteen ranked Vikings won the nightcap by a score of 8-7 in extra innings as Fighting Tigers open the season with a 1-1 mark.

With the first game knotted at 3-3 in the top of the seventh inning, freshman shortstop Joe Staunch, Freehold, NY, Greenville High School, broke the tie with a single to get the Orange & Black the lead for good at 4-3 and the Fighting Tigers then added an insurance run to secure the victory.

Freshman hurler Tom Weiner, Montrose, NY, Hendrick Hudson High School, went the distance for the Fighting Tigers recording nine strikeouts and allowing only three hits in seven innings of work.

In the second game the Fighting Tigers allowed Itasca four runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 8-4 lead before coming up short in the bottom of the frame despite posting three runs of their own in the 8-7 loss.

Senior outfielder Tristan Massalay, Flushing, NY, John Browne High School, led the way offensively for Cobleskill going 2-for-3 in the opening game with an RBI then posting a 2-for-4 outing in the nightcap including a fifth inning two run homer. Freshman catcher Matt Guerrido, Goshen, NY, Warwick Valley High School, also had an impressive debut in the second game going three-for-four with a pair of doubles and an RBI in the contest.

“The first game was a big win for us and a great way to start the season and you can’t say enough about the way that Tom Weiner threw today with nine strikeouts,” said Fighting Tiger Head Coach Bill Makarowski. “We let them off the hook in the second game but a lot of that has to due with being outside for the first time this year. Overall this was a great way for us to start the season and now we’ve got to keep it going and continue to improve.”

Cobleskill will return to action on Monday March 10th when they meet NJCAA Division II St. Clair Community College from Port Huron, MI starting at 9:30 AM.