A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta baseball team split their SUNYAC doubleheader against Plattsburgh Saturday afternoon at Damschke Field. The Red Dragons dropped the opener 7-3 before blanking the Cardinals 6-0 in the nightcap.

The Inside Story

Game 1.
Oneonta (11-13, 3-8 SUNYAC) took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a David Deberardinis (Fishkill/John Jay) RBI single. Plattsburgh took the lead in top of the top of the third on RBI's from Stephen Bryant and Erik Matz to go in front 2-1. The Cardinals added to their lead in the top of the fourth when they score four runs to take a commanding 6-1 advantage.

The Red Dragons plated a run in the bottom of the sixth on a Jonathan Lezette (Saugerties/Saugerties) RBI double to centerfield, scoring James Zupo (Massapequa/Massapequa). In the bottom of the seventh, pinch hitter Brandon LaVenture (Schenectady/Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons) brought home Sean McGlynn (New Hartford/New Hartford) from third base with a  sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 6-3. That would be as close as the Red Dragons would get as Plattsburgh freshman southpaw Joe Mazzariello got the last seven outs of the game to earn his first collegiate save.

Oneonta's Ryan Fay (Carmel/Carmel High School) kept his team in the game with three and a third innings of scoreless relief.

Game 2
Senior Robert Ottaviano (Nanuet/Albertus Magnus) pitched a complete game two-hitter to pace Oneonta to a victory in game two. Ottaviano struck out seven Cardinals while allowing just one hit to leave the infield.

The Red Dragons jumped on the board with two runs in the bottom of the first. . After Mickey Mullins (Vestal/Vestal) reach base to start the game. Dominic Lamonica (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) drove him home with an RBI single to right. The Red Dragons would eventually load the bases before James Zupo (Massapequa/Massapequa) made the score 2-0 when he reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Lamonica to trot home.

Oneonta added to their lead in the bottom of the third on an RBI single from James Zupo (Massapequa/Massapequa) to make the score 3-0. In the bottom of the sixth, the Red Dragons put the game out of reach with three runs. With runners on the corners, Mike Graves (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Central) smacked a hard hit ball that found its way through the glove of the Plattsburgh first baseman, allowing Jonathan Lezette (Saugerties/Saugerties) to score from third. After a double steal by James Zupo (Massapequa/Massapequa) and Mike Graves (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Central) put a pair of runners in scoring position, Sean McGlynn (New Hartford/New Hartford) hit a groundball to second base, but the attempt to cut down the lead runner at home was too late as Oneonta took a 5-0 lead. David Deberardinis (Fishkill/John Jay) capped off the inning with an RBI single to left.

Mickey Mullins (Vestal/Vestal) lead the Red Dragons with a 5-for-8 day with two runs scored. James Zupo (Massapequa/Massapequa) chipped in with three hits, two runs and a pair RBI

What's Next
The two teams will play the rubber game of series at Damschke Field tomorrow at noon.