AUBURNDALE, FL - The Oneonta baseball team concluded the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with a doubleheader sweep over Emerson on Friday morning. The Red Dragons (6-5) defeated the Lions (5-5) 4-2 in the first game and 4-3 in the second.
Freshman Zachary Rowe (Hudson, NY/Taconic Hills) pitched a complete game in the opener, going 7.0 innings with eight strikeouts, three hits, and two runs. Rowe struck out two batters in the top of the first before Emerson scored first in the second inning. Robby Posio reached second on a sacrifice bunt from Charlie Coors. Jordi Arboleda singled to right field, and Posio scored on an error, which made it 1-0. Nick Hubbe singled in a run to make it 2-0.
Oneonta responded at the bottom of the frame with senior Logan Hutter (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West/Smithtown), singling home to senior Joey Dwyer (Shoreham, NY/Shoreham Wading River) to cut the lead to one run. Freshman Travis Gfrerer (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) singled in a run from Hutter, and freshman Joseph Monserrat (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) scored on a ground out to take a 3-2 lead.
It was a tightly fought pitching battle, with Rower striking out three Lions in the top of the fifth. Oneonta tacked on another run in the sixth, with junior Brendan Duffy (Southold, NY/Southold Jr./Sr.) singling home senior Anthony Foglia (Somers, NY/North Salem) to push the lead to 4-2.
Seven different Red Dragons recorded a hit, with Hutter going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Emerson took a 2-0 lead following the first two innings, with Hubbe hitting a home run in the bottom of the second. Oneonta evened the score in the fourth. Freshman Ryan Cronin (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) led off with a single through the right side, and Dwyer singled and advanced to second. Junior Matt Sandoval (West Islip, NY/West Islip Senior) hit a two-RBI single to tie 2-2 before the third out.
The Red Dragons extended its lead in the fifth with senior Josh Gilkey (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minor) hitting an RBI double to take a 3-2 lead. Foglia then singled home Gilkey to make it 4-2. Emerson could not answer, and junior pitcher Martin Thorsland (Maryland, NY/Milford Central) struck out three batters in the bottom of the frame. He struck out another two in the sixth and the final batter of the seventh to secure the win.
Freshman Jack Finkelstein (Merrick, NY/Bellmore JFK) started and went 3.2 innings with four hits and one strikeout. Thorsland (2-1) went 3.1 innings with two hits, one run, and seven strikeouts.
Ezra Charles (2-1) went 5.1 innings with ten hits, four runs, and four strikeouts.
Oneonta returns home to host Marywood on Tue. Mar. 18 at 3 p.m.
