The SUNY Oneonta baseball team fell to Ferrum College in their season opening doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Hooker Field. The Red Dragons fell in the opener 8-2 before dropping the nightcap 4-0.

In game one, Ferrum jumped on the board with a run in the bottom of the first. Oneonta would rally for two runs in the top of the fourth to take a 2-1 advantage.  With the bases loaded, Brandon LaVenture (Schenectady/Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons) tied the game with an RBI groundout to third, allowing David Deberardinis (Fishkill/John Jay) to scamper home. Oneonta took the lead when Mickey Mullins (Vestal/Vestal) drove in Jonathan Lezette (Saugerties/Saugerties) with another RBI ground out.

The Red Dragons held the lead until the bottom of the sixth when Ferrum tallied three runs on five hits. The Panthers added a pair runs in seventh and eighth innings to make the final score 8-2.  Michael Dunne (Stony Point/Albertus Magnus) suffered the loss for Oneonta after allowing five runs in one and a two-thirds innings. Starting pitcher Robert Ottaviano (Nanuet/Albertus Magnus) had a solid first outing, allowing just one run in five innings of work while striking out four.

In game two, the Red Dragons could only muster two hits against Ferrum starter Joey Pride. The lone hits from Oneonta were singles by James Ceparano (Melville/Half Hollow Hills East) and Sean McGlynn (New Hartford/New Hartford). Game two starting pitcher Michael Losak (Merrick/Sanford H. Calhoun) took the loss after allowing two runs in four innings.

The Red Dragons return to action tomorrow when they wrapped up their three game series against Ferrum at noon