ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Oneonta baseball team was unable to generate offense on Wednesday afternoon, falling to RPI, 9-0, at Red Dragon Field. With the loss, the Red Dragons fall to 11-10, while the Engineers move to 15-6
Oneonta scattered three hits across the contest but could not push a run across, as RPI's pitching staff combined for a shutout while striking out 11 batters.
The game remained scoreless through the first four innings, with both sides trading zeros early. Oneonta received a solid start on the mound from Zachary Rowe (Hudson, NY/Taconic Hills) and Antonio Hicks (Rexford, NY/Christian Brothers Academy), who helped keep the Engineers off the board through the opening frames.
The turning point came in the fifth inning when RPI broke through in a big way. A two-out rally culminated in a grand slam from Ben Belliss, giving the Engineers a 4-0 lead.
Rensselaer added to its advantage in the sixth, capitalizing on a mix of timely hitting and defensive miscues. The Engineers plated three more runs in the inning, including RBI hits from Walker Abdallah and Connor Dynan, stretching the lead to 7-0.
Despite the deficit, Oneonta continued to battle for opportunities. The Red Dragons put together one of their best chances in the seventh inning, loading the bases with two outs, but were unable to capitalize as the rally was cut short.
RPI tacked on two additional runs in the ninth inning on a double and a sacrifice fly to close out the scoring.
Offensively, Anthony Loia (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington), Brendan Duffy (Southold, NY/Southold Jr./Sr.), and Ryan Cronin (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) each recorded a hit for Oneonta. On the mound, multiple Red Dragon pitchers combined to limit further damage after the middle innings, but the early offensive surge from RPI proved decisive.
Oneonta returns to SUNYAC play on Friday, facing Fredonia at 3 p.m.
