HOUGHTON, NY— After pounding out 19 hits and 17 runs, and receiving an outstanding pitching performance from Hunter Kendall, in a game one victory, the Houghton Highlanders fell in game two to the Russell Sage Gators, 5-3.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Game 1 Score: Russell Sage – 2 | Houghton – 17 (6 IN)
Game 2 Score: Russell Sage – 5 | Houghton – 3
Records: Russell Sage: 8-19 (4-6 Empire 8) | Houghton: 10-18 (3-7 Empire 8)
Venue: Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, Houghton, NY | Attendance:
 
Game One:
Hunter Kendall tossed all six innings in the run-rule shortened Houghton win, allowing only two runs on one walk and five hits, while matching his career-best 11 strikeouts.
 
While the Highlanders scored two in the first and two more in the second, the bulk of the damage came in a six-run third.  After Ethan Cetton led off with a walk, Davis Mcmillan ripped his first career homerun over the leftfield wall.
 
Houghton would tack on five more hits in the inning, capped by an RBI double to right by Zach Parr and another RBI hit from Chris VanCheri.
 
The Highlanders would push across two more in the fourth, and after the Gators finally touched up Kendall for a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, finish the game with five more runs in the bottom half of the inning. 
 
Tony Bertolino led off the inning with his first career homerun, a deep shot to left-center.  Houghton would add three more hits in the inning, including the game-ender off the bat of Jeremiah Chow, a shot back through the box that scored the final two runs.
 
Game Two:
The Highlanders jumped out to an early lead in the third when Jose Morales doubled to center, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch. 
 
After working their way out of a couple of jams in the opening innings, the Highlanders got into another in the bottom of the fourth.  With two outs and a runner on first, a base hit and a hit by pitch loaded the bases.  A failed pickoff at third tied the game, and another walk loaded the bases again. 
 
The Highlanders brought in reliever Trevor Ciccotti to face Sage DH Andrew Knapp, who quickly deposited Ciccotti's first offering over the right field fence for a grand slam, putting the Gators up, 5-1.
 
Ciccotti settled in, and would not allow another Sage run the rest of the game.
 
Houghton manufactured two more runs in the bottom of the inning, capped by an Ian Slate double over the leftfielder's head, cutting the deficit to 5-3.
 
While Ciccotti rolled, the Highlanders put a runner on third in the bottom of the fifth with one out.  Dylan Boprey hit a shallow fly ball down the right field line, but the Sage right fielder cut down the tagging runner at the plate to end the inning.
 
Houghton again threatened in the bottom of the sixth, putting runners on first and second with nobody out.  But a sacrifice bunt attempt ended in a line-out double-play, and following a walk that put another runner in scoring position, a groundout ended the inning.
 
The Highlanders would strand another runner in the eighth, before putting runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth.  But Sage reliever Colby Phelps would again work out of the jam, inducing a game-ending pop up to third.
 
KEY STATS:
>> Ciccotti threw 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, one run, and two walks, while striking out five.  Over the past week, in three combined outings, he has allowed eight hits and one run over 12.2 innings, surrendering only two walks, while striking out 12.
 
>> Zach Parr went a combined 6-for-8 with two doubles, four runs and three RBI over the doubleheader.  He has hit safely in each of his last 13 games, over which time he has gone an astonishing, 23-for-44 (.523), including eight doubles and two triples.  His 4-for-5 performance in today's first game is the first 4-hit game of his career. He has 11 multi-hit games this season.
 
>> Jose Morales went 5-for-7 on the day, including the first three-hit performance of his career, while Chris VanCheri added four total hits on the day.

COACH'S CORNER:
"As satisfying as that first game was, the second game left all of us a bit hollow.  We did everything well in the first game—we hit, played solid defense, ran the bases well, and received an outstanding pitching performance.  Hunter was lights-out today.
 
"But we scuffled in the second game.  Trevor [Ciccotti] made one bad pitch in over five innings of work; unfortunately, it was his first one.  Trevor has been outstanding in relief over the past couple of weeks and he gave us another great outing today.  Ultimately, though, it was not the homerun that hurt us.  It was everything that led up to the homerun in that inning. 
 
"We had several opportunities to score runs after the fourth inning and we simply did not execute well.  We knew that Sage would put together a much better game, and they did.  You have to tip your cap to any team that can rebound the way they did. 
 
"We will regroup tomorrow and look to put together two more solid games on Saturday."  - Head Coach Brian Reitnour
 
UP NEXT:
The Highlanders will travel to Albany for the final two games of the Sage series on Saturday at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.