For the second time in three days, the Tompkins Cortland Community College and Mohawk Valley Community College baseball teams have split a doubleheader. Saturday's games in Utica saw Mohawk Valley take game one, 7-2, before Tompkins Cortland took the second game, 7-5. The results follow Thursday's split in Dryden, and leaves the Panthers with an overall record of 3-4 overall and 2-2 in division play. Mohawk Valley is 6-6 overall and in division.
Game One: Mohawk Valley 7, Tompkins Cortland 2
The Panthers outhit the Hawks in the opener, 6-to-5, but gave away too many bases. The combination of four errors and five walks helped Mohawk Valley score runs in four straight innings, blowing the game wide open with a four-run sixth inning.
Taj Muhammad (Franklin Township, N.J./Franklin H.S.) had a big game one at the plate with a double and a triple and one RBI. Vinny Perrotta (New Hartford/Vinny Hartford H.S.) also went 2-for-4 in the opener.
The loss was pinned on Caleb Thompson (Cortland H.S./Cortland) as the starting pitcher allowed two runs while striking out five in 3 2/3 innings of work.
Game Two: Tompkins Cortland 7, Mohawk Valley 5
Game two saw the Panthers come from behind for a win for the first time in this young season. After falling behind 3-0 after two innings, Tompkins Cortland responded with two runs in the third and then five runs in the fifth – the biggest inning of the year for the Panthers.
The defense was again suspect with four errors, but the offense made up for it by banging out 13 hits. Luke Ough (Edmeston/Edmeston H.S.) led the way with a 3-for-4 performance that included a pair of doubles. Garrett Fox (Tully/Tully H.S.) had a double and a triple and Muhammad counted a triple among his two hits. Jaden Nelomes (Rochester/Churchville-Chili H.S.) also had two hits, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
Hyeonho Cho (Daejeon, South Korea/Sekwang), fresh off earning a save in the win over Mohawk Valley on Thursday, was the starting pitcher and worked six innings for the win. Nick Cody (Cortland/Cortland H.S.), who started the first game on Thursday, came on in relief on Saturday, picking up the save with a scoreless seventh inning.
Looking ahead
The Panthers return home Saturday to host Cayuga Community College.