COBLESKILL, NY

The UMPI Baseball Team got back to the diamond on their spring trip for their first games after a couple of off days. Coming off a euphoric 16-14 win over Lehman College, the Owls ran into the last year's North Atlantic Conference Runners-Up, SUNY Cobleskill. The games would count towards conference play, just four games into the Owls' schedule. The Owls put up a valiant fight on the road and never rolled over, but in the end it was Cobleskill taking the cake in both.

Game 1: (10-1 Fighting Tigers)

How it Happened:

It was the early innings that spelled trouble for the Owls as they went down in order in the top half, before Cobleskill tacked on four runs in the bottom half of the first. Cobleskill struck out the side in the second inning, going 1-2-3, before the Tigers added two more to get out to a very comfortable 6-0 lead in the early goings.

It was an outstanding pitching performance by Cobleskill's starter, Reis Brammer. He struck out eight batters in a row to after he got the UMPI leadoff man to fly out, and was quite literally, perfect through three innings of work. Cobleskill scored once more in the third to go up 7-0.

UMPI disrupted that flow in the 4^th, when they got their first base runner followed by their first hit. The Owls threatened but couldn't plate one as the game began to enter cruise control.

In the 5^th, the Owls chased the Tigers' starter, and loaded the bases, but couldn't squeeze any across, which would have changed the dynamic.

It was smooth sailing for Cobleskill after the mid-way point as the early lead proved to be too much. The Owls did score once in the 8^th inning to avoid the shutout, but in the end it was the Tigers taking advantage of some early offense and cruised to a 10-1 victory.

At the Plate: The Owls were led by Garrett Chadwick, who went 2-4 out of the three-hole and scored a run. Dylan Geren went 2-4 out of the nine spot, and Ian Michaud went 1-3, rounding out the five hits for UMPI, all of which were singles. In the end, it was the strikeouts that were killer for the UMPI offense, who put up 16 runs last time out. In total, they fanned 16 times which proved hard to overcome.

The Owls stole four bases again, establishing themselves as a running threat.

In the field, the Owls committed three errors but turned two double plays to help themselves out.

On the Mound:

Spencer Harman got the start for UMPI, coming off his three-out save over Lehman College on Sunday. Harman struggled to find a groove early on and turned the ball over in the second inning after 1.1 innings of work. Mason Long came in with one out in the second inning, coincidentally for Long, it was 'long'-relief duty, as he ate up some valuable innings to save arms. Long went the rest of the distance, throwing 6.2 innings, allowing eight hits, and four runs, while walking three and striking out one. It was one of his best career performances as he became the unsung hero for UMPI.

Game 2: (4-0 Fighting Tigers)

How it Happened:

The bats stayed cold in game two of the doubleheader, but this one had a much different dynamic throughout. The Owls limited the strikeouts this time to just five as a team but still couldn't get guys on base often enough. Cobleskill scored two runs in the bottom of the 2^nd to take an early lead. But things really settled down after that. UMPI went down in order for their first two at-bats, before getting a runner on in the third. They'd play small ball to move him over but couldn't squeeze it across. The Owls worked their way out of multiple jams, as Cobleskill got baserunners on, but starter Jonah Baude stayed poised throughout.

In the top of the 5^th, UMPI threatened even more singling twice, and this time loading the bases before a fielder's choice ended the opportunity.

The Tigers were able to add some extra insurance in the 6^th inning as three hits and an error led to a couple more runs and a 4-0 lead.

The Tigers took that lead into the Top of the 7^th, and completed the shutout as UMPI left a man in scoring position.

At the Plate:

The Owls had six hits as a team but unfortunately they were too few and too far between to muster any runs in this one. Ian Michaud went 2-2 with a walk, getting on base all three times, and Hector Perez went 2-3 out of the leadoff spot. Garrett Chadwick and Anthony Searels each went 1-3 with singles to round out the hitting for UMPI.

On the Mound:

Jonah Baude was the hero arm again for UMPI, as he made yet another appearance on limited rest. He pitched ten innings in two days on the weekend, then made the start in game two. Baude went almost the whole way for UMPI, tossing 5.2 innings. He allowed eight hits and four earned runs and walked two—his only two batters throughout his 15.2 innings of work so far this season. Michael Langley came on in relief with two outs in the 6^th and got the out in the one batter he faced.

Next Up:

UMPI falls to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play. They will travel back to Lynn, MA, where they will play a four-game weekend slate with Fisher College and Vermont State University Lyndon. They will play Fisher on Saturday at 11 a.m., followed by Lyndon on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Sunday will have the same schedule as well.