The SUNY Oneonta baseball team opened its 2014 season today at Lynchburg College and came away with a split.  The Red Dragons got a solid pitching performance from starter, Steve Ascher (Cutchogue/Mattituck), in game 1, but was pounded in the nightcap.

The Red Dragons will play a single game at Washington & Lee tomorrow beginning at 12pm.

Game 1 summary, Oneonta 5 – Lynchburg 4
Junior Steve Ascher (Cutchogue/Mattituck) was solid in his initial outing of the season, recording 11 strikeouts in 5-2/3 innings.  He allowed four hits and three earned runs in picking up his first win of 2014.  Sophomore Kyle Jordan (Levittown/Division) finished the final 1-1/3 innings to pick up his first collegiate save.  Ascher struck out the side in the first, fourth and fifth innings.

Offensively, freshman David Wright (Oneonta/Oneonta) and junior Matt Mastroianni (Somers/North Salem) each had a pair of hits in the game.  Wright had a double and three runs batted in while Mastroianni had a triple and one run batted in.  Mastroianni's RBI single in the top of the fifth gave the Red Dragons a 4-3 lead.

Mastroianni led off the game with a triple to right center field and came home when Wright singled in the infield in the next at-bat.

Lynchburg scored three runs in the home half of the second inning to go ahead 3-1.  A couple of extra-base hits fueled the inning while a passed ball led to the third run crossing the plate.

Wright struck again in the top of the third inning when he hit a double down the left field line to score a pair of runs to tie the game at three apiece.

Oneonta added an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning on a fielder's choice RBI by sophomore LJ Gizzarelli (Newburgh/Newburgh Free Academy).  Sophomore Dylan Stamile (Long Beach, NY/Bowie (Austin, TX)) scored from third on the play.  Stamile led off the inning with a single to center field and went to third on a single to right center by freshman catcher Billy Riedel (East Northport/John Glenn).

BATTING:  Oneonta
2B: David Wright (Oneonta/Oneonta) 1; Casy Kies (Apalachin/Vestal) 1
3B: Matt Mastroianni (Somers/North Salem) 1
SH: Matt Mastroianni (Somers/North Salem) 1

BATTING:  Lynchburg
2B: Evans 3
3B: Parsons 1
SH: Knight 1

W: Steve Ascher (Cutchogue/Mattituck) (1-0) L: Miller (1-1)
S: Kyle Jordan (Levittown/Division) (1)

Game 2 summary, Lynchburg 21 – Oneonta 12
Lynchburg jumped on Oneonta starter, Alex Mastrianni (Valatie/Ichabod Crane), and chased him from the game with two outs in the third inning.  Mastrianni was touched up for six hits and seven earned runs in taking his first loss of the season.

The Red Dragons actually scored four runs in the first and two more in the second to carry a 6-3 lead into the third inning.  Oneonta loaded the bases with no outs and scored the first run when junior, Nate Eastman (Oneonta/Oneonta), drew a walk to force in Mastroianni from third base.  Stamile drew another walk to force in the second run before freshman Casey Kerdesky (Cornwall/Cornwall) drove in his first two collegiate runs with a single to left field.

Oneonta loaded the bases again in the second inning when Mastroianni doubled, Wright singled and senior Christopher Orlando (Putnam Valley/Putnam Valley) walked.  With two outs, Stamile singled to left field to drive in Mastroianni and Wright.

Lynchburg then rallied to score five runs in the bottom of the third inning and plated another 10 runs in the fourth to take a 19-6 lead.

Oneonta scored four runs in the fifth inning on the strength of junior Jon Halligan's (Cornwallville/Cairo Durham) grand slam.  The Red Dragons' final two runs came in the seventh inning.

Wright finished the game with three hits for Oneonta while Mastroianni and Stamile each had two hits.

BATTING:  Oneonta
2B: Matt Mastroianni (Somers/North Salem) 1; Christopher Orlando (Putnam Valley/Putnam Valley) 1
HR: Jon Halligan (Cornwallville/Cairo Durham) 1

BATTING:
2B: Rogers 1; Parsons 1; Arrowood 1; R. Tomasulo 1
3B: Rogers 3
HR: Arrowood 1
SH: J. Tomasulo 1

W: Day (1-0) L: Alex Mastrianni (Valatie/Ichabod Crane) (0-1)