SCHENECTADY, NY— Ethan Cetton carried a no-hitter through 6.2 innings, and finished his day allowing only one earned run through eight innings, as the #4 Houghton Highlanders defeated the #1 Russell Sage Gators in the opening game of the Empire 8 conference championship tournament, 5-2.
The Highlanders put their first run on the board in the third, after
Jeremiah Chow was hit by a pitch and
Jeremey Wilcox placed a perfect bunt for a single. With one out, Chow stole third, and eventually scored on a two-out wild pitch.
Two innings later, Chow again catalyzed the Highlanders with a leadoff walk. The Gators then threw Wilcox's sacrifice bunt into the right field corner, and Chow came all the way around to score. A failed pickoff attempt would then score Wilcox.
Vincent Lucyszyn followed with a base hit and
Chris VanCheri laced a triple down the rightfield line, scoring Lucyszyn.
Dylan Boprey would eventually plate VanCheri with a RBI single to centerfield, giving the Highlanders a 5-0 lead, which would prove more than enough for Cetton.
The Gators would spoil Cetton's no-hit and shutout bids in the seventh. A two-out walk and an RBI double to right-center put Sage on the board.
In the eighth the Gators scored their second run of the day following a base hit and an errant throw from the outfield placed a runner at third base. He would then score on a sacrifice fly to center.
Jeremey Wilcox came on in the ninth to earn his fifth save of the season, but not before making things interesting. Wilcox alternated walks and strikeouts before, with two outs and the bases loaded, inducing a soft line-out to first base to end the Sage rally.
GAME VITALS
Score: #4 Houghton – 5 | #1 Sage – 2
Records: #4 Houghton: 16-20 | #1 Sage: 23-16
Venue: Central Park "A" Diamond – Buck Ewing Field | Attendance: 414
KEY STATS:
>> Cetton allowed only three hits and three walks while striking out seven. He is now 5-4 on the year, and has 12 wins for his career, one away from tying the Houghton record, held by
Ryan Newtown ('23).
>> Wilcox save breaks Caleb Philips' ('20) single-season record of four saves in a season.
>> Lucyszyn and Boprey each collected two hits for the Highlanders, while Lucyszyn stole his 18
th base of the season. Lucyszyn has now reached base safely in 34 of the Highlanders' 37 games this season.
COACH'S CORNER
"Ethan [Cetton] was absolutely outstanding today. He was aggressive and threw his breaking ball well. For the most part, we played quality defense and applied offensive pressure all day long. Today was a good team win.
"We'll enjoy this one for the rest of the night and get back to work tomorrow."– Head Coach
Brian Reitnour