MEMPHIS, TN - Junior Nick Jacoby (Yorktown Heights, NY/Yorktown) led off with a home run to start the Oneonta baseball season, but it was not enough as the Red Dragons fell 12-2 to Rhodes on Saturday afternoon. Oneonta falls to 0-1 overall, while Rhodes moves to 7-1.
Jacoby was the first Oneonta batter at the top of the first and knocked a home run straight down center field to give the Red Dragons a 1-0 lead. Lynx pitcher Will May struck out the following batter, and another two quick outs ended the frame.
Ben Burkhart popped out to second-baseman Joey Dwyer (Shoreham, NY/Shoreham Wading River), and senior Kyle Roper (Tappan, NY/Tappan Zee) struck out another Rhodes batter. The Lynx capitalized on some Red Dragons' errors, which allowed Corbin Kinder to steal home and tie 1-1. Cooper Kuriger hit a two-RBI single to first before Oneonta escaped the inning trailing 3-1.
Oneonta struggled to get on base, and Rhodes tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth following a Myles Kruger home run to left field. The Lynx extended the lead to 6-1 following a pair of Oneonta errors.
The Red Dragons went down two outs early in the top of the seventh. Freshman Joseph Monserrat (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) doubled down the left-field line, and then a Jacoby single brought home the run to cut the lead to 6-2.
Rhodes added three hits and two runs in the bottom of the frame, and a final eighth inning with four more Lynx runs sealed the win.
Jacoby went 3-for-4 with one run and two RBI. Senior Josh Gilkery was 2-for-3. Roper (0-1) went 4.0 innings with five hits, four runs, two walks, and two strikeouts. Junior Wyatt Braun (Camillus, NY/West Genesee) pitched 2.1 innings and had two strikeouts with three hits and four runs.
Nine different Rhodes' batters recorded a hit, with Kruger going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Kinder and Ben Daniel each had three runs.
May (1-1) went 5.0 innings with five hits, one run, and four strikeouts.
Oneonta continues the Tennessee trip on Sun. Feb. 23 at 10:30 a.m. (CT) against UChicago.
