HOUGHTON, NY— After completing the first five innings before halting the game due to inclement weather yesterday, the Houghton Highlanders and Keuka Wolves picked up where they left off on Sunday afternoon, with the Highlanders picking up two crucial victories, 4-2 and 7-4, to stay in the hunt for an Empire 8 post season berth.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Game 1 Score: Keuka – 2 | Houghton – 4 (Played first 5 IN on 4/15, completed on 4/16)
Game 2 Score: Keuka – 4 | Houghton – 7
Records: Keuka: 5-16 (1-8 Empire 8) | Houghton: 13-16 (6-3 Empire 8)
Venue: Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, Houghton, NY | Attendance: 85/105
 
Game One:
Hunter Kendall threw five scoreless innings, allowing only three hits, while striking out four, for his third win of the season.
 
Keuka's Anthony Laurinitis nearly matched Kendall step-for-step, allowing only two runs in the bottom of the third when Sebastian Rodriguez and Jeremey Wilcox led off with back-to-back singles.  Zach Parr eventually drew a two-out intentional walk to load the bases, and Ian Slate laced a single through the left side, scoring Rodriguez and Wilcox.
 
Then the thunder, lightning and rain hovered over Houghton for several hours, forcing the teams to postpone until Sunday afternoon.
 
After Ethan Cetton tossed a scoreless sixth, the Highlanders plated a pair in the bottom half of the inning when Isaac Mann followed a Dylan Boprey leadoff single with a triple to right-center.  Mann would then score on a ground out by Wilcox.
 
Keuka refused to go quietly as the seventh became a menagerie.  After the leadoff batter reached on a fielding error, the next batter lifted a fly ball to left, on which Jeremey Wilcox appeared to make a sliding grab, quickly doubling the runner off first base.  After initial out calls on both batter and runner from the officiating crew, the call was overturned, giving Keuka runners on first and second with nobody out.
 
The Wolves would go on to score two run in the inning before Cetton final struck out the final batter, leaving the bases loaded.   
 
Game Two:
Trailing, 3-2, in the bottom of the seventh inning, Jason Kauffeldt ripped a bases-loaded triple to right-center, scoring three runs and giving the Highlanders a 5-3 lead.  Houghton would score two more runs in the inning on RBI base hits from Ian Slate and Davis Mcmillan.
 
After allowing three runs in the first, Houghton got a pair back in the bottom of the first on back-to-back doubles from Chris VanCheri and Zach Parr.
 
Then the game entered a pitchers' duel between Keuka's Jared Beckley and Houghton's Aiden Talcott.
 
After the two runs in the first, Beckley did not allow another run before being removed after the completion of the sixth inning.  Beckley scattered eight hits and did not walk a single batter, striking out two, in the no-decision.
 
Talcott entered in the top of the second and proceeded to put up five straight zeros before being removed in the eighth after walking the first two batters. 
 
Brett Rosario finished out the game, tossing the final two frames for the Highlanders without allowing a run, for his first career save.
 
KEY STATS:
>> Kendall lowered his team-leading ERA to 2.59.  This week he tossed 12 innings without allowing a single run, giving up only four hits and five walks, while striking out 15.  He has not allowed an earned run in his past 19 innings pitched.  Kendall currently ranks second in the Empire 8 in ERA and first in strikeouts (58).
 
>> Rosario, while not having pitched enough innings so far this season to qualify for the Empire 8 leaderboard, lowered his ERA to 1.69.  He also boasts a miniscule 1.03 WHIP.
 
>> Rodriguez and Slate each collected four hits over the two games, while Slate added three RBI and raised his batting average to .357. 
 
>> Kauffeldt went 3-for-4 in the second game, while stealing two more bases.  He is now 19-for-19 this season and has 68 stolen bases for his career.  He trails on David Wessells (73 SB, 2017-2021) for the all-time Houghton lead.
 
>> Zach Parr went 2-for-5 over the two games with a pair of intentional walks and a double.  On the Houghton career leaderboard, Parr currently ranks: 2^nd in doubles (43, Tage Johnson, 45), T-2^nd in homeruns (9, Tage Johnson, 9, Wayne Rode, 10), 2^nd in RBI (98, Tage Johnson, 115) and 3^rd in total bases (232, Tage Johnson, 248, David Wessells, 258).

COACH'S CORNER:
"These were two big wins for us that kept us in playoff contention. 
 
"We struggled in the final inning of the halted game, and the first inning of the final game, but our bullpen was outstanding the entire series, and we came up with big hits when we needed them.
 
"Hunter [Kendall] gave us another big-time start, and I thought Aiden [Talcott] and Brett [Rosario] both threw really well today. 
 
"Our guys played hard all weekend long and I'm incredibly proud of them.  Losing that first one was tough, but we bounced back and just kept plugging away." – Head Coach Brian Reitnour
 
UP NEXT:
The Highlanders travel to Rochester this upcoming Friday, April 21 to take on the St. John Fisher Cardinals, who currently sit in first place in the conference, in the first of a three-game series.  First pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m.