Baseball drops opening day DH to Oneonta State 7-5, 8-6

Sanford, FL- The MCLA baseball team made their 2017 debut this afternoon as they dropped a pair of hard fought games to Oneonta State dropping game one 7-5 and the nightcap 8-6. Oneonta improves to 6-3 on the season as they wrap up their trip while MCLA drops to 0-2 on the season.

In game one, the Red Dragons led early scoring five runs in the second inning off Trailblazer starter Liam Nolan to seize the early lead.  The Red Dragons would make it 6-0 by pushing another across in the top of the sixth before MCLA rallied. 

In the bottom of sixth inning, MCLA rallied for five runs to make it 6-5 heading to the home seventh.  Bill Pulasky drilled a ground rule double driving in a pair of runs for MCLA.  Myles Candelet and Andrew Casteel also drove in runs in the inning.  The Trailblazers had a chance to tie it up but a squeeze play turned into a double play ending the inning.

MCLA would go quietly in the seventh inning giving the Red Dragons the game one win.  Nolan took the loss tossing 5 1/3 innings in the opening day start.  Jonathon Parker added two hits to pace the offense.

In game, Oneonta once again jumped out in front, this time leading 4-0 after two innings of play.  MCLA scraped a run across in the third and fourth innings highlighted by an RBI knock from Parker and Schamal Forbes had an RBI in the fourth.

After Oneonta extended the lead to 5-2, MCLA rallied again with pair of runs in the sixth to get within 5-4.  Forbes once again was the catalyst as his two RBI single was the key hit.  Forbes, however, was picked off ending the frame.

Oneonta appeared to put the game away with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to seize an 8-4 lead, but once again MCLA rallied in the seventh.  Andrew Casteel had a pinch hit two run single to bring MCLA within 8-6, but the Red Dragons induced a double play to end the game and earn the sweep.

Brendan Kelly took the loss going the first four innings for MCLA.  

The Trailblazers are back in action tomorrow morning with a doubleheader with Olivet College starting at 9:30am.