HOUGHTON, NY— In a wild extra-inning game full of drama and almost-heroes, Joe Crossley's one-out base-hit through the left side of the infield in the 12^th inning proved the game-winner, as the Utica Pioneers outlasted the Houghton Highlanders, 16-15.
 
The Highlanders jumped out to an 11-2 advantage after only two innings, thanks to 10 base hits.  But the Pioneers responded with 11 runs in the top of the third to take a 13-11 lead.
 
After Houghton scored a lone run in the bottom of the third to pull within a run, 13-12, the game would seesaw back and forth until the end, with neither team leading by more than one for the remainder.
 
With the game knotted, 14-14, in the eighth, Jacob Scalise placed a seeing-eye single through the right side of the infield, scoring the go-ahead run.
 
Down to their final out in the bottom of the ninth, Houghton's Ian Slate laced his third double of the day down the left-field line, and Kanta Ueno followed with a base hit to left that scored pinch-runner, Jeremiah Chow, tying the game again.
 
In the bottom of the 11^th, Vincent Lucyszyn led off with a deep double to left-center, then advanced to third on a fly ball to right.  With only one out, Utica pitcher, Aiden McCue, snared a Chow ground ball back through the box, cutting down Lucyszyn at the plate. 
 
Chow stole second base to put another runner in scoring position, but the Highlanders could not push across the winning run.
 
Finally, in the top of the 12^th, a lead-off walk and a sacrifice bunt on which the Highlanders failed to record an out set the table for Crossley's heroics.  With one out and runners on first and third, Crossley fought off multiple pitches before lacing the game winner through the left side.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Score: Utica – 16 | Houghton - 15
Records: Utica: 14-21 (8-7 Empire 8) | Houghton: 15-17 (9-6 Empire 8)
Venue: Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, Houghton University | Attendance: 100
 
KEY STATS:
>> 17 of the game's 18 starters collected at least one hit.  13 of the starters had a multi-hit game.
 
>> Lucyszyn went 4-for-7 with two doubles and two stolen bases, while Slate, Chris VanCheri, Dylan Boprey and Christian Tortorici all collected three hits apiece.
 
>> The Pioneers hit two homeruns, a double and a triple, while the Highlanders posted five doubles, a triple, and five stolen bases.
 
COACH'S CORNER:
"I'm proud of how our guys battled to the end today.  After that 11-run third inning we could have gone in the tank, but we didn't.  We fought to the end.
"I give a lot of credit to Utica and Coach Milazzo—they battled all game long, too.  This was a tremendous baseball game.  Each team committed only one error and came up with big hits and plays throughout the day. We just came up one short." – Head Coach Brian Reitnour
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders travel to Amsterdam, New York on Friday for the opening game of the final three-game series of the Empire 8 conference regular season.  Game time is yet to be determined.