HOUGHTON, NY—They weren't exactly what baseball aficionados would term "clean games."
 
The SUNY Canton Roos pounded out 22 hits in the first game and took advantage of some sloppy play from the Houghton Highlanders to take game one, 16-3, then capitalized on 13 walks from Houghton pitchers in the second game to win late, 11-7.
 
Game #1: The Roos jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first, all of which were recorded as unearned runs off Houghton starter Ned Monthie (Albany, NY, Christian Brothers Academy).
 
Monthie and his defense settled down, not allowing another run over the ensuing four frames.
 
In the third Jens Omdal (Olympia, WA, River Ridge) tripled, Chris Welch (Denham Springs, LA, Denham Springs) took first on a hit by pitch and Michael Knapp (Brockport, NY, Brockport) singled home Omdal then stole second.  Joseph Gilligan (Ringwood, NJ, Lakeland Regional) followed with a sacrifice fly to right, then Knapp brought home the third run of the inning on a wild pitch. 
 
That was as close as the Highlanders would come as Roos starter Travis Bigelow settled in, tossing a complete game with only one walk while striking out three.
 
The wheels came off for the Highlanders in the sixth and seventh innings, as more miscues and more Canton hits led to 11 more runs.
 
Omdal finished the game 2-for-2.
 
Jeremy Baez collected four hits for the Roos, while three additional players posted three hits apiece and another had two.
 
Game #2: The Roos took to the lead in the second when Baez drew a leadoff walk and Chris Roenbeck homered to right.
 
The Highlanders answered in the bottom half of the inning with a two-out rally.  A walk, a single, a hit-by-pitch and a John Zamites (Olean, NY, Olean) single to left brought home Gilligan.  With the bases loaded Knapp struck out, but the ball skipped past the catcher, allowing Ethan Duryea (Concord, OH, Cornerstone Christian) to scamper home with the tying run.
 
Canton answered quickly in the third, plating a pair of unearned runs to take a 4-2 lead.
 
After Houghton reliever Garrett Alread (Victor, NY, Victor) worked his way out of a jam in the fifth, the Roos scored another run in the sixth.
 
Down 5-2, the Highlanders answered yet again when Michael Knapp ripped a one-out triple to centerfield, scoring Zamites and Duryea.  A wild pitch plated Knapp with the tying run.
 
In the eighth, sloppy play came back to bite the Highlanders once again.  Three walks, a hit-by-pitch and two errors later and the Roos had a four run lead without collecting a hit.
 
Houghton scored again in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to three when Patrick Parsons (Wellsboro, PA, Wellsboro) singled home Knapp, but the Highlanders stranded a pair on base and could draw no closer.
 
In the ninth, Houghton again walked four batters.  This time the Roos posted a hit and the Highlanders held them to only two runs, but heading to the bottom of the ninth the score stood 11-6.
 
Houghton threatened to rally when Tim Brizzell (Saratoga Springs, NY, Saratoga Central Catholic) led off with a deep double to centerfield and Duryea reached on an error.  After Bryan Hodge's (Thornton, CO, Community Christian) sacrifice fly scored Brizzell, Knapp hit a two-out single that put runners on the corners.  But Luis Caballero struck out the final batter to finish the game.
 
Parsons went 3-for-4 for the Highlanders and Knapp and Zamites each collected two hits apiece.
 
Wilson Matos and Brandon Welch each posted two hits for the Roos.
 
Caballero picked up the win in relief for Canton while Alread took the loss for the Highlanders.
 
The two teams meet again tomorrow at noon at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex at Houghton College for the final game of the series.