By P.J. Harmer

Staff Writer

ONEONTA — Josh Bennett pushed Oneonta State past Hartwick College, 5-4, in a non-conference

Star photo by Julie Lewis Oneonta State’s Chris Salamida beats a throw to Hartwick first baseman Jonathan Dillon in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s game at Red Dragon Field. Salamida finished 1-for-3 with a run for the Red Dragons.

baseball game Wednesday at Red Dragon Field.

Bennett’s sacrifice bunt turned into a two-base error, leading to two unearned runs in the bottom of the eighth for the Red Dragons (23-5-1).

"Josh Bennett is a very good bunter and everyone in the whole park knew he was going to bunt," said O-State coach Rick Ferchen, whose team started its eighth-inning rally from a 4-3 hole with a leadoff single by No. 9 hitter Anthony Suhadolnik. "He pu[an error occurred while processing this directive]t down an excellent bunt and forced them to make a play and fortunately for us, they didn’t."

Suhadolnik’s bloop single over Hartwick first baseman Rich Sands set up Bennett, inserted to pinch hit for Thomas Colt.

Righty Bennett pushed the first pitch he saw from reliever Av Doomchin past the right side of the mound. Second baseman Brad Polcare fielded the ball cleanly but rushed his throw to Sands at first.

Jake Wasielewski, pinch-running for Suhadolnik, easily scored on the play as the ball rolled a few feet up the right-field fence.

"It’s a situational play and everyone on the team has to roll," said Bennett, who took second on the throwing error. "I was happy I could fill my role. I was just looking to get it down. I hit it and saw it got by the pitcher and I thought I could get down the line."

Ferchen replaced Bennett with Oneonta High graduate Steve Sclafani, who took third on a sacrifice bunt to the right side by Greg Sulz.

Chris Salamida took an intentional walk from Doomchin to put runners at the corners before Brent Tortarella went opposite field to score the go-ahead run.

"I was just trying to get it in the air and drive it," said Tortarella, who reached base safely as right fielder Charles Assini hustled back to get a glove on the ball but dropped it. "I wanted something up in the zone. It actually worked this time."

Facing runners at first and second with one out, Doomchin struck out Mike VanPatten and got Jamie Wright to fly out to center to end the inning.

O-State closer Greg Funck (Roxbury) put Hartwick down in order in the top of the ninth to earn his third save.

"It’s a typical Hartwick-Oneonta State game," Ferchen said. "Both teams come to play hard. I have a lot of respect for Hartwick because I know what they are going to bring."

Hartwick (7-14), which held a 3-0 lead entering the bottom of the fourth, stranded nine runners — six in scoring position.

If not for the crafty pitching of Patrick Connors, however, Hartwick could have put the game away early.

Relieving O-State starter Ryan Marsh with runners at first and third and one out in the fourth, Connors struck out Jon Spellman. Polcare stole second to put both Hartwick runners in scoring position, but Connors (1-0) got Matt Mooney on a foul flyout to left to end the inning.

"It’s the first time I’ve seen action in a while," Connors said. "After I got out of that jam, I had a lot of confidence in my fastball and slider. I probably threw 70 percent sliders."

Connors finished with six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings, including striking out the side in the eighth. He allowed one run on four hits.

"He threw well and kept them off-balance," O-State catcher Tortarella said. "It was a good outing and he threw a lot of strikes. The slider was definitely his money pitch."

Hartwick opened the scoring in the second, when Mike Palanza doubled and scored on a single from Jon Dillon.

The Hawks scored two more runs off Marsh in the fourth on four consecutive hits. Lyons doubled and scored when Cody Hapanowich singled. Tyler Saladin followed with a double, and Polcare’s single scored Hapanowich for a 3-0 lead.

"The first four or five innings with guys on second and third, one hit maybe breaks the game open," Hartwick coach Doug Kimbler said. "We lost the game leaving nine guys on base.

"Oneonta is definitely the better team, but we’re looking to get better and better," he continued. "There’s a right way to lose games and a wrong way to lose games. We’re finding ways to lose games we shouldn’t lose. Leaving guys on base was the difference in the game."

O-State tied the score with two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. Salamida had a one-out single in the fourth and Tortarella followed with a single that bounced off Sands, who started in right field. Salamida scored and Tortarella ended up at third on the play before scoring on a sacrifice fly to center by VanPatten.

Brandon Galutz tripled with one out in the fifth and scored the tying run on Suhadolnik single.

Hartwick regained the lead in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Spellman.

"We missed a couple of opportunities early," Saladin said. "When it’s a tie or we’re down, we’re looking to get in scoring position and let our hitters do the work. We were hitting well and we could have had more early."

ONEONTA STATE 5, HARTWICK 4

HARTWICK ÐØÐØ Ø ONEONTA STATE Ø Ø

ab r h bi Ø ÐØÐØØØ ab r h bi

Saladin c 3Ø1Ø2Ø0 Colt lf 3Ø0Ø0Ø0

Polcare 2b 4Ø0Ø2Ø1 Bennett ph 0Ø0Ø0Ø0

Spellman lf 5Ø0Ø1Ø1 SSclafani pr 0Ø1Ø0Ø0

Mooney ss 5Ø0Ø0Ø0 Funck p 0Ø0Ø0Ø0

Sands rf/1b 4Ø0Ø1Ø0 Sulz rf 3Ø0Ø0Ø0

Palanza cf 4Ø1Ø2Ø0 Salamida cf 3Ø1Ø1Ø0

Dillon 1b 3Ø0Ø0Ø0 Tortarella c 2Ø1Ø2Ø1

Assini rf 0Ø0Ø0Ø0 VanPatten 3b 3Ø0Ø0Ø1

Lyons 3b 4Ø1Ø2Ø1 Wright ss 4Ø0Ø0Ø0

Hapanowicz dh 4Ø1Ø1Ø1 Elmendorf 1b 2Ø0Ø1Ø0

Galutz dh/lf 3Ø1Ø1Ø0

Suhadolnik 2b 3Ø0Ø3Ø1

Wasielewski 2b 0Ø1Ø0Ø0

Totals ÐØ 36Ø4Ø11Ø4 Totals ÐÐ 26Ø5Ø8Ø3

Hartwick 002 302 000—— 4 11 4

Oneonta State 000 210 02x — 5 8 0

E—Polcare, Sands, Assini, Lyons. LOB—Hartwick 9, O-State 4. 2B—Saladin, Palanza, Lyons, Tortarella (10). 3B Galutz (2). SB—Polcare, Sands 2, Salamida (13). S—Bennett (1), Sulz (3). SF Tortarella (1), VanPatten (1).

IPÐÐHÐRERÐBBÐSO

ÐHartwick ÐØ ÐØ ÐØ ÐØ ÐØ ÐØ ÐØÐØ

Paslow (L, 1-3) Ø5ØØØØ7ÐØ3ÐØ2ÐØ0ÐØ4

Doomchin Ø3ØØØØ1ÐØ2ÐØ0ÐØ2ÐØ2

ÐOneonta State ÐØ ÐØ ÐØ ÐØÐØ ÐØÐØ

Marsh Ø31-3ØØ7ÐØ3ÐØ3ÐØ2ÐØ5

Connors (W, 1-0) Ø42-3ØØ4ÐØ1ÐØ1ÐØ1ÐØ7

Funck (S 3) Ø1ØØØØ0ÐØ0ÐØ0ÐØ0ÐØ1

HBP by Marsh (Saladin); by Doomchin (Elmendorf).

WP Marsh.

T—2:30. A—46.

———

P.J. Harmer can be reached at pharmer@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 229.