04/20/06
O-State sacrifices to beat Hartwick
Two bunts in three-run eighth help Red Dragons beat city rivals, 7-4
AREA COLLEGE BASEBALL
By P.J. Harmer
Staff Writer
ONEON
| | | Hartwick College’s Mike Tracy dives safely into first base as Oneonta State’s Dave Paquette awaits a pickoff throw from pitcher Mike Myrdycz in the fourth inning Wednesday at Damaschke Field. Tracy advanced to third and scored when John Spellman was by a pitch to tie the score at 4. O-State won the non-league game, 7-4. |
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TA — If bunting in baseball is an art form, Oneonta State might be the next Pablo Picasso.
The Red Dragons successfully executed back-to-back sacrifice bunts in the eighth inning Wednesday en route to three runs for a 7-4 non-conference victory over city rival Hartwick College at Damaschke Field.
"We try to play a little small ball," said 10th-year O-State coach Rick Ferchen, whose team improved to 22-7. "We’re not scoring a lot of runs this year. ... We were just trying to get run."
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Brandon Galutz led off the eighth with a single to right, and Thomas Colt followed with a well-placed bunt down the first-base line.
Hartwick catcher Tyler Saladin bobbled the ball as he tried to pick it up, giving O-State runners at first and second with none out.
Mike Kuratnick then bunted between pitcher Av Doomchin and first baseman Cagney Turner. Doomchin grabbed the ball, but he threw behind second baseman Rob Lyons, who was covering first. The ball went into right field, allowing Galutz to snap a 4-all tie. Colt went to third and Kuratnick to second on the play.
"It went our way, but that’s baseball," Ferchen said. "The ball bounced the right way for us. It could have bounced to them and they could have shut us right down. A lot of this game is sometimes not how good you are, but how lucky you are."
Said Hartwick coach Doug Kimbler: "What’s that saying? Errors kill? Well, we got killed today pretty good."
Anthony Suhadolnik followed with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Colt to make it 6-4. After Brian Holmes singled to right to put runners at the corners, Chris Brew capped the scoring by driving in Kuratnick with a groundout to first.
"We start slow sometimes, then pick it up," Kuratnick said. "Maybe it’s just the pitching and seeing the ball."
O-State reliever Erik Arfsten (1-1) struck out six and walked one in five scoreless innings of no-hit ball.
The Hawks (9-11) looked poised for the upset after scoring three runs in the first off O-State starter Mike Myrdycz.
Brad Polcare tripled to center and scored when Matt Mooney singled to left. Mooney took second when a pickoff attempt from Myrdycz got past first baseman Dave Paquette and rolled along the fence in foul territory.
After Saladin struck out and John Spellman grounded out, Matt Kelly was hit by a pitch. Turner then hit a two-run double to make it 3-0.
"We came out hitting," Turner said. "We’ve been working on hitting fastballs and picking our pitches. We started out doing that and then sort of died after that. They started throwing us more curveballs, and we weren’t hitting the fastballs they were giving us."
O-State scored in the second on an RBI double from Suhadolnik. The Red Dragons took the lead with a three-run third. Colts’ sacrifice fly resulted in two O-State runs. In addition to scoring Chris Salamida from third, Paquette made it home from second when Spellman’s throw from right field ended up in the O-State dugout.
Kuratnick capped the rally with an RBI single.
Hartwick tied it in the fourth when Morris graduate Mike Tracy reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second. Polcare walked and, after Matt Mooney flew out to center, Saladin singled to load the bases. Spellman was then hit by a pitch to score Tracy.
O-State hosts Cortland in a SUNY Athletic Conference doubleheader at noon Saturday. The Hawks visit St. John Fisher for an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday.
O-STATE 7, HARTWICK 4
O-State 013 000 030 — 7 11 1
Hartwick 300 100 000 — 4 5 2
Mike Myrdycz, Erik Arfsten (5,W,1-1) and Mike Kuratnick. Nick Paslow, Av Doomchin (5,L,0-1) and Tyler Saladin. 2B — Chris Salamida (O), Anthony Suhadolnik (O), John Spellman (H), Cagney Turner (H). 3B — Thomas Colt (O), Brad Polcare (H).
