At a glance
After dropping the first game of their Region III Division III doubleheader with Tompkins Cortland CC 5-3, Alfred State won one of the wildest games in program history 22-21, scoring the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 7th inning.
After dropping the first game of their Region III Division III doubleheader with Tompkins Cortland CC, Alfred State won one of the wildest games in program history 22-21 scoring the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 7th.
The second game featured more twists and turns than any roller coaster. Tompkins Cortland scored in every inning, Alfred State scored seven runs in the 4th and 5th innings and runs were scored in 13 of the 14 half innings played. TC3 scored eight runs in the 5th inning, TC3 tied the game in the 7th inning with two outs, and ASC won the game on a bases loaded sacrifice fly by Andrew Alexander (LeRoy) who was the lone Pioneer without a hit.
In total, there was 43 runs scored on 32 hits, ten for extra bases (three inside the park homeruns and two grand slams). Ten errors were committed, 16 walks were issued, four batters were hit, and four wild pitches were thrown. The 22 runs scored by Alfred State was one short of the all-time high for a single 7-inning game.
Alfred State headed into the 7th with a 21-18 lead but TC3 rallied back and plated the tying run with two outs. Dennis Dueno (Brooklyn/Bishop Ford) walked to lead off the bottom of the 7th. He went to second on a sac bunt by Anthony Espe (Union Endicott). Dueno went to third on a single by JP Frey (Erie, PA/McDowell). After an intentional walk to Kevan Smith (Cicero North Syracuse), Alexander lifted a fly ball deep enough to score Dueno standing up to end the 3:16 contest.
Garrett Hoag (Dansville) had a monster game recording the progams first cycle since 2006. He finished 4 for 5 with 8 RBI including an inside-the-park grand slam. He fell just one RBI short of the program record of 9.
Travis Fenstermaker (LeRoy) was 4 for 5 with a RBI, Smith was 2 for 4 with 5 RBI including his team leading 4th homer. Espe was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI while Frey (Erie, PA/McDowell) was 2 for 4 with a RBI.
Tim Smith led TC3's offense with a 3 for 4, 5 RBI day while Drew Seager was 2 for 5 with a grand slam.
Tyler Mann (Holland Patent) came out of the outfield and recorded the final two outs of the top of the 7th to earn the victory. Mann was the sixth pitcher of the night for the blue & gold.
In the opener, TC3 jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning and never gave the lead up. ASC cut it to 2-1 in the 2nd on a RBI single by John Whitehead (Amherst). Both teams traded runs in the 4th and the Panthers took their biggest lead of the day by plating two in the 6th. Fenstermaker singled home a run in the 6th but the Pioneers stranded the tying run on base as TC3 escaped any more damage.
Smith was 2 for 3 with two doubles while Mann was 2 for 3.
Alfred State is now 11-13 overall on the season and 7-10 in Region III Division III play while TC3 is 9-10 and 8-6 in RIII DIII.
The blue & gold return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Onondaga CC for a 2 p.m. doubleheader with the Lazers.