The Keuka College Baseball team was swept by Hamilton College on Wednesday during their spring trip to Florida.
Keuka College (5-5) dropped the opener 10-6 to the Continentals and then fell in the nightcap 13-10.
Hamilton College 10 vs. Keuka College 6 – Game 1
The Continentals took the lead in the first inning and then added two runs in the third for the early 3-0 advantage.
Keuka College responded in the bottom of the third. Owen Garvey (Meadville, Pa. / Meadville Area) led the inning off by getting hit by the pitch. Tyler Lewandowski (Milltown, N.J. / Spotswood) singled later to put two on with one out. Michael Brown () then doubled down the right field line for the Wolves to score Garvey. Kyle Wood (Newark, N.Y. / Newark) and Derek Novicki (North Haven, Conn. / North Haven) were there hit by the pitch in back-to-back at bats to force in Lewandowski and cut the lead to 3-2. The Wolves looked to tie the game, but the second baseman made a sliding stop to end the inning.
Hamilton answered right back with a run in the top of the fourth and then another in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead.
The Wolves fought back in the bottom of the fifth. Brown walked and Wood followed with a single. After advancing on a wild pitch, both scored on a single by Carlos Fantauzzi (Canandaigua, N.Y. / Canandaigua Academy). Fantauzzi would later score on a wild pitch to tie the game and Jackson Loper (Riverhead, N.Y. / Riverhead) gave the Wolves the lead with a pinch-hit double.
However, the lead was short-lived as three straight singles by the Continentals gave Hamilton the lead in the sixth. Hamilton then scored four in the seventh to defeat the Wolves 10-4.
Lead Wolf: Mason Smith (Corning, N.Y. / Corning-Painted Post) got his first start of the season for Keuka College. The junior pitched five innings allowing only three earned runs while striking out three.
Hamilton College 13 vs. Keuka College 10 – Game 2
Keuka College struck first in game two as the Wolves scored in the top of the first. Ethan Drinon (Middleburgh, N.Y. / Schoharie) singled for the Wolves and moved to second on a wild pitch. He scored on a single up the middle by Carlos Fantauzzi for the 1-0 advantage.
Hamilton answered right back with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, but Keuka took the lead back in the third. Kyle Wood singled to lead off the inning. He moved to second and then scored on a single by Carlos Fantauzzi to make it 2-1.
The Continentals would score four in the bottom of the frame and then three more in the fourth to take an 8-2 lead over the Wolves.
Keuka College was fought all the way back with seven runs in the fifth inning. An error started the inning and a single by Kyle Wood scored a run. Keuka then got a bases loaded walk followed by an RBI single by Ian Ruhmel (Horseheads, N.Y. / Horseheads) to make it 8-5. Tyler Lewandowski then hit a ball to deep center with the bases loaded. The ball was dropped by the centerfielder allowing all three runners to score, leaving Lewandowski on third base. He scored the next batter on a wild pitch to give the Wolves a 9-8 lead.
However, the lead went right back to Hamilton as they scored three in the fifth and then added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth to make it 13-9. The Wolves pulled one back in the seventh on an RBI single by Derek Novicki, but Hamilton would close it out for the victory.
Lead Wolf: Kyle Wood had a strong game for the Wolves in game two. The senior had a pair of hits, drove in a run and scored two.
Up Next for Keuka College: The Wolves have Thursday off down in Florida and return to the field on Friday. Keuka College will begin Empire 8 Conference play while on their spring trip. The Wolves will face SUNY Brockport in their three-game conference series starting on Friday with a doubleheader. First pitch on March 21 is set for 1:30 p.m. from the Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale, Florida.
