SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - Senior Josh Gilkey (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minor) hit his first career home run as the Oneonta baseball team defeated Union 12-5 on Tuesday afternoon. The Red Dragons return to the win column and move to 17-9-1 overall, while the Garnet Chargers fall to 16-12.
After Gilkey doubled in the first inning, he scored on a single from freshman Ryan Cronin (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa). Senior Joey Dwyer (Shoreham, NY/Shoreham Wading River) singled and stole second, and senior Logan Hutter (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West/Smithtown) walked to load the bases. Dwyer and Cronin scored on a fielding error to take an early 3-0 lead.
Junior pitcher Wyatt Braun (Camillus, NY/West Genesee) struck out two Union batters in the bottom of the first, but AJ Cutler singled in a run to cut the lead to two.
Gilkey knocked a home run to left field to bring in two runs and push the Oneonta lead to 5-1 in the top of the second.
Union looked to make a comeback in the third and brought in four runs to tie at 5-5.
Neither side scored again until the top of the sixth when junior Nick Jacoby (Yorktown Heights, NY/Yorktown) doubled down the left-field line to allow junior Anthony Loia (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) to reach home. The Red Dragons again loaded the bases, and senior Anthony Foglia (Somers, NY/North Salem) walked to make it 7-5.
Oneonta added two more runs in the seventh when Loia and Hutter scored on a passed ball. Then, in the eighth, junior Matt Sandoval (West Islip, NY/West Islip Senior) hit a two-RBI double to bring the lead to six runs. In the ninth, a final RBI single by Dwyer made it 12-5.
Gilkey went 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBI. Dwyer was 3-for-6 with two runs, two stolen bases, and one RBI. Loia went 2-for-5 and had two runs and one stolen base.
Dylan Swarts was 3-for-5 with one run, while Cutler had three hits and an RBI.
Braun went 2.2 innings with eight hits, five runs, and two strikeouts. Junior Dominic Colarusso (Stony Point, NY/Albertus Magnus) went 2.0 innings and grabbed the win with three hits, no hits, and one strikeout. Senior Joshua Martin (Edmeston, NY/Edmeston) pitched the final two innings and only allowed one hit with no runs.
Oneonta will next host Fredonia in the SUNYAC play on Friday. Apr. 18 at 3 p.m.
