ALFRED, N.Y. – La Roche baseball took the field one last time in AMCC play on Sunday afternoon, needing a sweep of Alfred State to keep their postseason hopes alive. Unfortunately, it was the host Pioneers coming away victories in both matchups, ending the Redhawks effort for a second straight AMCC Tournament bid.
GAME ONE: Alfred State 4 La Roche 3
Alfred State jumped on the board right away in the seven inning opener, plating three runs in the bottom of the first to make it 3-0.
The final and game-winning run scored by the Pioneers moved the score to 4-0 in the bottom of the third, off an RBI single.
La Roche would battle back, beginning in the top of the fourth, with a Ricky Heyz RBI single to make it 4-1.
Christian Melendez would spark the offense in the top of the fifth and top of the seventh, bringing in a run in each inning, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
Unfortunately, despite still having two runners on in the seventh, no more would cross for the red and white.
Larry Bielawski got the start and in the complete game, allowed four runs (three earned), eight hits, three walks and struck out one.
Offensively, La Roche picked up nine hits, led by Tanner Schmitt and Brandon Snyder's 2-for-3 outings.
GAME TWO: Alfred State 11 La Roche 9
Much like game one, Alfred State got the offense going early, bringing home four runs in the bottom of the second, then another pair in the bottom of the third, jumping ahead 6-0.
Andy Sopata produced the Redhawks first run in the top of the fourth with an RBI groundout, but was countered in the bottom of the fourth by a Pioneer solo home run.
Once again, La Roche added a tally in the top of the fifth on a Liam Burns sacrifice fly to make it 7-2, but Alfred State again responded in the bottom of the fifth to make it 8-2.
For the third consecutive inning, the Redhawks hit the scoreboard, with two runs in the top of the sixth off a Snyder RBI single and Bielawski sacrifice fly to cut the deficit in half, 8-4, but yet again, the Pioneers countered with a run in the bottom half of the inning to move the score back to 9-4.
After a scoreless seventh inning, Snyder delivered a huge three-run homer in the top of the eighth to move the red and white within two, 9-7, but for the fourth time in the contest, Alfred State had a rebuttal, scoring two runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth to go ahead, 11-7.
La Roche gave one final push in the ninth, as Melendez belted a two-run homer to make it 11-9, ending the scoring, as Alfred State completed the sweep and eliminated the Redhawks from playoff contention.
Jamison Rhoades got the start, tossing three innings, allowing six runs (five earned), two hits, three walks and struck out two in the loss.
Izaak Ogrodowczyk tossed four innings of relief, allowing five runs (four earned), eight hits, one walk and two strikeouts, while Eli Thomas threw one inning, allowing a hit and a walk.
Offensively, La Roche ended with 12 hits, led by Snyder and Melendez each going 3-for-5 and combining for six RBI.
Despite being eliminated from AMCC Playoff contention, the Redhawks have three games left and look to end the season on a positive note. First up is a doubleheader with Franciscan, putting the red and white right back on the field, tomorrow, Monday, Apr. 28, beginning at 4 p.m.