FIGHTING TIGER BASEBALL SPLITS PAIR WITH MVCC IN CONFERENCE PLAY

With a post season baseball play-off bid hanging in the balance SUNY Cobleskill hosted Mountain Valley Conference rival Mohawk Valley Community College on Friday with each team looking to enhance their chances for a trip to the post season. But on a beautiful afternoon for baseball the Fighting Tigers and Hawks split a pair of games with Cobleskill taking the opener by a 4-3 margin and the nightcap going to Mohawk Valley by a 12-2 score. Cobleskill’s record now stands at 8-20 overall with a regional and conference mark of 5-7 overall.

The Fighting Tigers pushed across the game one winning run in the bottom of the fifth inning when with one out when freshman second baseman Ron Smalling, Yaphank, NY, Longwood High School, singled home his double-play partner senior shortstop Ryan Larabee, Cheshire, MA, Hoosac Valley High School, who had preceded him with a double. Larabee was the Fighting Tigers big stick in the game going 2-for-3 on the afternoon.

Senior Pitcher Paul Palazzo, Bethpage, NY, St. John the Baptist High School, made the lead stand up hurling a complete game striking out five while only walking one in the victory. Palazzo also closed the game in dramatic fashion picking off a pinch-runner on first base to stifle a potential Hawk comeback.

In the second game the Fighting Tigers could do little right as the Hawks started off with four runs in the first inning and never looked back. Once again Ron Smalling was a bright spot on offense going 2-for-3 in the game but a number of Cobleskill base running mistakes cost the home team several potential big innings.

The Fighting Tigers will next be at home on Wednesday April 23rd when they will host the Twins of Columbia-Greene Community College in a Mountain Valley Conference doubleheader.