Yaphank, NY (Mar. 9, 2019) – Purchase College baseball battled to 5-2 and 4-0 victories over SUNY Plattsburgh Saturday afternoon at Baseball Heaven. With the wins, Purchase improves to 3-0 on the season while sending the Cardinals to 2-3 overall.  

Game One: Purchase 5, SUNY Plattsburgh 2
Sophomore starter Cody Hennequin (Milford, CT) (1-0) tossed 82 pitches and registered four strikeouts over seven innings to keep the Cardinal bats at bay. He was awarded his first win of the season for the effort. Purchase's offense supplied Hennequin with plenty of support, highlighted by a 3-run showing in the sixth inning.

Plattsburgh lit up the board first with a Rocco Cipriano homerun in the top of the second inning.

Purchase leveled the score in the bottom of the third. Sophomore second baseman Dylan Flynn (Hauppauge, NY) smashed a double up the middle to score senior shortstop Gregory Walsh (Bethpage, NY).

In the fourth inning, Plattsburgh took a 2-1 lead on a Jonathan Craft RBI-single that brought Stephen Lydon around to score.

The Panthers answered back in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game 2-2.  Sophomore left fielder Matthew Nilsen (Bellmore, NY) reached on a single and advanced to second on a Cardinal error. He later came around to score on a RBI-double from senior catcher Nick Tuozzola (Milford, CT).

Hennequin held the Cardinals scoreless in the next two innings, including a notable defensive play by Nilsen. The standout outfielder shut down a Cardinal attempt for a double with a long throw to Flynn for the tag at second base.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Panther offense went to work to secure the win. Junior third baseman Patrick Wallace (Monorville, NY) led off with a double to center field which forced Plattsburgh to make a pitching change. Wallace advanced to second on a Tuozzolla groundout and came around to score the game-winning run, thanks to a junior centerfielder Gavin Brien (Brooklyn, NY) single up the middle.

Facing another new Cardinal pitcher, Flynn sent a bomber over the right-center field wall to give Purchase a comfortable 3-run lead.

Hennequin capped off the complete game performance with three quick Plattsburgh outs in the top of the seventh.

Flynn paced the Panther offense in the opener. He went 2-for-3 with three RBI, including a double and homerun.

Game Two: Purchase 4, SUNY Plattsburgh 0
Purchase broke open the scoring in game two. Walsh led off the bottom of the first with a single to third base and advanced to second on a Flynn single to shortstop. Sophomore DH Matthew Mulligan (Bellport, NY) walked to load the bases. Walsh later came home to score on a passed ball by the Cardinal catcher Mike Onufrak.

The Panther bats went to work again in the fifth inning, stretching the PC lead to 3-0. Senior left fielder Matthew Villalobos (JR/Brooklyn, NY) scored on a Walsh sacrifice bunt and later, Brien came home on a Flynn double to right field.

A Villalobos RBI double to right center drove in Purchase's fourth and final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Flynn and Villalobos each batted 2-for-3 with one RBI to lead the Panther offense in game two.  Junior ace John Fitzgerald (JR/Wantagh, NY) (1-0) earned his first win of the season after striking out three and allowing just a single hit over 5.1 innings on the mound.