Devils ousted with 3-2 loss to Oswego

Luke Kuczewski

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Fredonia's 2016 baseball season ended around the noon hour Saturday with a 3-2 loss to Oswego on the second day of the SUNYAC Tournament.

Oswego's Eric Hamilton ripped a 3-2 fastball from reliever Carl Wolf (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton) over the left-center fence with two outs in the eighth inning. It was Hamilton's 13th homer of the season.

Andrew Morano pitched one inning of scoreless relief to get the win. Mickey Puntillo picked up the
save for the Lakers, who improved to 31-8 and moved on to a 4 p.m. meeting against the loser of Saturday's second game between Brockport and Cortland.

Wolf took the loss in his final collegiate game. On the other end, freshman right-hander Luke Kuczewski (Hamburg, N.Y./Orchard Park) provided a glimpse into the future with a solid seven-inning start. He allowed two runs -- one earned -- on four hits and three strikeouts.

The Blue Devils (20-21) collected 10 hits -- all singles. Quinn Danahy (Buffalo, N.Y./Bishop Timon-St. Jude), Michael Prentice (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Francis), and Joshua Crocetti (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) had two hits each.

Fredonia scored both of its runs in the second inning. Oswego starter Robert Donnelly issued a one-out walk to Steve Zaprowski (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South), followed by three straight hits: a single to right by Prentice, an RBI single to right by Patrick Sheehan (West Seneca, N.Y./Orchard Park), and an RBI single to center by Crocetti.

In addition to the second inning, the Blue Devils stranded runners in scoring position in the third, fifth, seventh, and eighth innings. They left 11 runners on base overall, including the bases loaded in the fifth.

Oswego broke through for a run in the third on a two-out single by Wes Randall. The Lakers then scored the tying run in the seventh. A two-out double by John Barnes preceded two Fredonia errors. The second one came after Kuczewski picked Barnes off third base, ensuing in a rundown. The throw home hit Barnes in the back of the helmet and deflected away.

The Blue Devils averted further damage when Zaprowski laid out to make a diving catch in right-center to end the inning.

Wolf came on in the last of the eighth to face the top of the Oswego order. He retired the first two batters before falling behind to Hamilton. After a foul ball got the count to 3-2, Hamilton sent a liner into the left-center gap. The Fredonia outfielders converged, only to see the ball clear the Wallace Field fence.

Fredonia was making its third SUNYAC appearance in the last four years, It also marked the final time in a Blue Devil uniform for five seniors: Danahy, Wolf, Zachary Jordon (Akron, N.Y./Akron), Kyle Sherman (North Collins, N.Y./North Collins), and Dan Cecilia (Utica, N.Y./Whitesboro).