HOUGHTON, NY—As has become their calling card this season, the Houghton Highlanders baseball team found themselves embroiled in a pair of close games, this time with the Utica Pioneers. 
 
The Highlanders rallied to score three runs on a walk-off, bases-clearing double by Ian Slate to take game one, 7-6, before the Pioneers held off a near replay in game two to earn the split with a 4-1 win.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Game 1 Score: Utica – 6 | Houghton - 7
Game 2 Score: Utica – 4 | Houghton – 1
Records: Utica: 17-14 (10-8 Empire 8) | Houghton: 13-23 (6-12 Empire 8)
Venue: Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, Houghton College | Attendance: 85/70
 
Game 1:
Trailing, 6-4, entering the bottom of the seventh, Dylan Boprey led off with a base hit to right field and Zach Parr followed with a walk.  In a sacrifice situation, Chris VanCheri laid a perfect bunt down the third base line that ended as a hit, loading the bases. 
 
Ian Slate entered as a pinch hitter and drilled the second pitch he saw deep into the right-center gap.  Boprey and Parr scored easily, and VanCheri raced home ahead of the throw, giving the Highlanders a dramatic walk-off win.
 
Houghton had taken a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning, before Utica scored three in the sixth and two in the seventh to surge ahead, 6-4. 
 
Hunter Kendall struck out eight batters over six innings, scatter seven hits in a no-decision.
 
Trevor Ciccotti picked up his second win of the season, allowing one unearned run in his only inning on the mound.
 
Game 2:
Despite allowing only three base hits over nine innings pitched, the Highlanders dropped the second game, 4-1. 
 
An outstanding performance from Utica senior southpaw, James Roeschlaub, combined with a disastrous defensive performance in the fourth, kept the Highlanders at bay.
 
Roeschlaub allowed only one run over seven innings, scattering seven hits and two walks, while striking out nine to pick up his third win of the year.
 
The Pioneers did the bulk of their damage in the fourth, capitalizing on a leadoff triple down the right field line, followed by a key Houghton mental mistake and three additional errors by the Highlanders, to put Utica up, 3-0.
 
The triple would be the only hit Houghton starter Jeremey Wilcox would allow, tossing five strong innings before giving way to Will Tormey, who would throw the final four.  Tormey would surrender only one unearned run—in his final inning of work—on two hits. 
 
Houghton picked up their lone run in the bottom of the seventh when Dylan Boprey ripped a two-out double to left-center, and Zach Parr followed with a single to right. 
 
In the ninth, it looked like the Highlanders might once again pull some magic out of their hats.  Jose Morales drew a lead-off walk, and Jason Kauffeldt followed with a walk of his own.  After the Utica second baseman snared a soft liner in shallow right off the bat of Boprey, Parr lined into a game-ending double-play.
 
KEY STATS:
>> Kendall's eight strikeouts in game one give him 71 in 54.2 innings pitched this season, good for the third highest single-season strikeout total in Highlander history behind only Victor Cavalieri (100, 2018) and Seth Cornell (73, 2015).  Kendall's 11.68 K/9 is also the second best single-season mark in Houghton history, behind only Cavalieri, who led the nation in 2018 with 15.0 K/9.
 
>> VanCheri finished his day 4-for-8, while Sebastian Rodriguez added three hits for the Highlanders.
 
>> Wilcox drew the hard loss in game two.  Over his last two starts he has thrown 12.2 innings and allowed only eight hits and four earned runs (2.84 ERA).  Tormey has not allowed an earned run over his last three appearances (seven total innings), while allowing only six hits and striking out seven.
 
COACH'S CORNER:
"Our team has improved a ton over the past two months.  We battled throughout the first game, and I couldn't be happier for Ian [Slate].  He crushed that ball.  That was a much-needed win for us, too.
 
"In the second game I give a lot of credit to [James] Roeschlaub.  He pitched really well.  That was one of the best pitching performances we've seen all year. 
 
"The fourth inning killed us.  Outside of the physical errors, we just had a couple of mental meltdowns.  The guys tried to bounce back, but Roeschlaub just kept us at bay.
 
"I thought all four of our pitchers threw really well today.  Jeremey [Wilcox] and Will [Tormey] have come a long well and have given us some solid outings. 
 
"I'm incredibly proud of the grit we continue to show.  Our guys have stayed true to the process and just keep trying to improve.  As a coach, there's not much more you can ask of your players." –Coach Brian Reitnour
 
UP NEXT:
The Highlanders close out the regular season on Saturday with a doubleheader at Utica, starting at 1:00 p.m.  Houghton still has an outside chance of making the Empire 8 postseason tournament, but must win both games on Saturday in order to qualify, and receive some help from other teams.