PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh State baseball team opened its 2025 season on Sunday and took different routes in sweeping a non-conference doubleheader from Penn State Berks.
The Cardinals (2-0) pulled away to a 14-1 win in the opener and then rallied from a 6-0 deficit for an 8-7 victory in the second game.
The two teams got the twinbill in despite playing in cold and windy conditions in Wappingers Falls.
“We got a lot of big hits in Game 1,” Plattsburgh head coach Sam Quinn-Loeb said. “We went something like 15-for-32 at the plate.”
Ben Catrambone, Colin Ross, Josh Foglia and Ian Warren had two hits apiece for the Cardinals, with Catrambone and Warren each driving in three runs and Ross two. Foglia and Warren scored three runs each.
“Ross hit a no-doubter for a home run over a double fence,” Quinn-Loeb said. “He’s a good hitter. Warren caught a good game and hit well, along with Foglia and Ben (Catrambone) who swung the bat well.”
Transfer Kaelen Clarkson made his first-career pitching start for Plattsburgh and went four innings for the win. He allowed two hits, walked three, allowed one run and struck out six.
“Clarkson threw well,” Quinn-Loeb said. “He has four pitches and did well on 0-2 counts with his placement to get strikeouts.”
The second game did not start out well for the Cardinals as the Nittany Lions scored two runs in each of the first three innings to take a 6-0 lead. But Plattsburgh got some key hits to rally into an 8-6 lead.
“(Alex) Kornblau had a two-out, two-run triple to make it 6-5,” Quinn-Loeb said. “Adam Wein then had a key RBI single in the fifth to tie it. and we took an 8-6 lead in the sixth on RBI singles by (Aidan) Diltz and Ryan Hart, who came off the bench for his big hit.”
Diltz and T.J. Beninati led the Cardinals offensively with three hits each, while Ross added two. Kornblau, Diltz and Foglia each drove in two runs, while Diltz, Beninati and Ross scored two runs apiece.
The Nittany Lions (1-5) made it interesting in the top of the seventh inning, scoring a run to make it 8-7 before standing runners on second and third when the final out was recorded.
Isaiah Maines, making his first-career appearance for the Cardinals, picked up the pitching win in relief of starter Kolby Mordecki and Jack Castillo got the save.
In three innings and facing the first batter in the seventh, Maines allowed two hits, walked two, surrendered one run and struck out three.
“Maines did a good job keeping the game where it was,” Quinn-Loeb said. “Castillo, who has been throwing well, then shut it down in the seventh inning.
“Mordecki wasn’t that bad. There were a few good hits off him, but also a couple of bloopers and two balls that our outfielder lost in the sun.”
The Cardinals are now scheduled to play a non-conference doubleheader at SUNY Cobleskill on Sunday, starting out noon.
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Game 1
Plattsburgh 14, Penn State Berks 1
PSB 010 000 0 — 1 3 1
PSU 040 073 x — 14 15 1
Mudri, Reptsik (5), Kelemen (5) and Dull. Clarkson, Goldberg (5), Suozzo (7) and Warren. WP- Clarkson. LP- Mudri. 2B- Ewert (PSB), Catrambone (PSU), Piccirillo (PSU), Foglia (PSU), Warren (PSU), 3B- Foglia (PSU), HR- Ross (PSU).
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Game 2
Plattsburgh 8, Penn State Berks 7
PSB 222 000 1 — 7 11 0
PSU 003 212 x — 8 12 3
Zook, Turka (5) and Buchman. Mordecki, Maines (4), Castillo (7) and Wein. WP- Maines. LP- Turka. Sv- Castillo. 2B- Reyes (PSB), Buchman (PSB), Altman (PSB), Ross (PSU), Diltz (PSU), Foglia (PSU), 3B- Seibert (PSB), Kornblau (PSU).