HOUGHTON, NY—On a cold and rainy afternoon at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, the Houghton Highlanders baseball team reeled in a much-needed win over the Utica Pioneers, 21-9, Friday.
 
Fighting for second place in the Empire 8 Conference, and a chance to host next week's semifinal round, the Highlanders bats exploded for 21 hits, scoring 15 runs over the final three frames to all but ensure that the two teams will meet again in Houghton next weekend.
 
After Utica put together back-to-back two-out hits in the first to take an early 1-0 lead, Houghton dropped five runs in the bottom half of the inning, and added another in the second to take a commanding 6-1 lead.
 
The Pioneers fought back, scoring three runs on only one hit in the third.  Houghton starter Ryan Newtown, who has walked fewer than three batters per nine innings this year, struggled with his command in the cold, wet conditions, hitting the leadoff batter then walking three straight, before regaining control.
 
Utica touched up Newtown again in the fifth, plating a pair of runs on a single and two doubles, tying the game and forcing Houghton to bring in Hunter Kendall out of the bullpen.
 
The Pioneers finally surged ahead in the top of the sixth, capitalizing on a walk, two hits, and a costly Houghton error, pushing three runs across and giving Utica a 9-6 lead.
 
That lead would not last for long as the Highlanders roped six hits in the bottom half of the inning, including a double off the right-centerfield fence by Jared Couch to give Houghton a 10-9 lead.
 
Kendall would dominate the final three frames, allowing only two hits and no runs to keep the Pioneers at bat and pick up his fourth win of the season.
 
The Houghton offense, meanwhile, surged. In the bottom of the seventh, with Wayne Rode at first, Jason Kauffeldt ripped a sinking base hit into centerfield. The Utica centerfielder was caught between a dive and trying to keep the ball in front of him, and the ball skidded to the outfield wall.  Kauffeldt turned on the afterburners, racing around the bases for his first inside-the-park homerun, putting the Highlanders up, 12-9.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, Houghton continued to do damage. The Highlanders started the inning with three hits and a hit-by-pitch, scoring a run and loading the bases for senior Wayne Rode, who promptly crushed his fifth homerun of the year over the right-centerfield fence. In total, Houghton would rap out eight hits and nine runs in their final at bat.
 
Kendall allowed only one earned run in 4.1 innings of work, walking two and striking out three.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Score: Utica – 9 | Houghton - 21
Records: Utica: 16-14 (9-8 Empire 8) | Houghton: 19-12 (11-9 Empire 8)
Venue: Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, Houghton College | Attendance: 32
 
 
KEY STATS:
>> The Highlanders reached the 20-run plateau for the first time this season, and only a day after St. John Fisher became the first team to score 20 runs against the Highlanders.  Houghton has plated double-digit runs 10 times this season.
 
>> Every Houghton player collected at least one base hit, and seven of the nine starters posted at least two. Zach Parr, Kauffeldt, Davis McMillan, Kevin Zientara and Jared Couch each collected three hits apiece for the Highlanders.
 
>> In addition to going 3-for-4 at the plate, Zientara added two walks.  David Wessells, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, also walked three times. Wessells has collected multiple hits in 15 games this season, including 10 of his last 11. Zientara, who has earned his wa  into the starting lineup over the past two weeks, is now hitting a smoking .393, including three multi-hit games and four extra-base hits in his six starts.
 
>> Houghton stole a total of seven bases on the day, upping their league-leading total to 73 stolen bases in 31 games this season.
 
COACH'S CORNER:
"It is really quite astounding to me—a day after suffering our worst loss of the season, our guys came back ready to play and delivered loudly. We were missing three of our regular starters today and, as has become the custom with this team, the guys behind them stepped up and played great.
 
"Ryan [Newtown] battled through the opening innings. I know the weather worked against him, but he kept us in the game, and Hunter did a fantastic job out of the pen. 
 
"I can't say enough about the way that we hit and ran the bases today. Twenty-one hits is a lot of hits. Utica has proven that they can beat good teams, including us, but our guys knew that in order for us to host next week we needed this game and they took care of business. We had great energy from every player all day long. Our guys battled with and for each other all day long. What happens over the next two days is out of our control, but we did what we needed to do today and I'm incredibly proud to be the coach of this team." – Coach Brian Reitnour
 
UP NEXT:
Houghton will play Utica again next Friday in the Empire 8 conference tournament semifinal. The Pioneers play a single game against Elmira at home tomorrow, then host St. John Fisher for a doubleheader on Sunday. Should Utica win all three of those games, they will host the Highlanders next weekend. If they lose at all, Houghton will host on Friday at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex.