UTICA, NY— After building leads in both games, the Houghton Highlanders dropped both ends of a doubleheader with the Utica Pioneers, 7-2 and 7-3.
 
Game 1 Score: Houghton - 2 | Utica – 7
Game 2 Score: Houghton - 3 | Utica – 7
Records: Houghton: 11-16 (3-13) | Utica: 17-12 (8-7 Empire 8)
Venue: Utica College Baseball Field, Utica, NY | Attendance: 260
 
Game 1 Recap:
Houghton jumped out to an early one-run lead in the first, but the Pioneers scored three in the third, which would be all the run support pitcher Brady Leichtman would need.
 
Leichtman would toss 8.1 innings to pick up his third win of the season, striking out 11 and walking only one. 
 
Christopher Gross picked up the loss, going six innings, while allowing three earned runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out three.
 
Christian Tortorici went 2-for-4 for the Highlanders.
 
The Highlanders left eight men on base, while the Pioneers left four.
 
Game 2 Recap:
Trailing, 3-2, in the seventh, the Pioneers scored five runs on four hits, two walks and an error to give them what would ultimately be the game-winning runs.
 
Houghton scored a pair in the opening frame on a two-RBI single by Willan Armes.
 
Utica pulled back within a run in the third on a wild pitch, but Vincent Lucyszyn gave the Highlanders a 3-1 lead  in the fourth when he doubled home Ethan Ernst.
 
Again the Pioneers pulled within a run in the bottom half of the inning, but Conner Benitez settled in to keep the score 3-2.
 
Benitez allowed two runs over six innings on only four hits before giving way to the bullpen.
 
Six Highlanders collected a hit apiece. Tortorici went 1-for-4, while extending his hitting streak to 12 games.
 
Nate Tyler pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing two hits and no walks, while striking out one.

UP NEXT
The Highlanders will travel to Bradford, PA on Monday for a 3:00pm single game against the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford Panthers.