The Fredonia baseball team scored two runs in the first and four in the second inning and never looked back as they downed Penn State Behrend, 9-3, on Monday. The victory also brought back the I-90 Cup to Fredonia, and the Devils now lead the series three games to two vs. their AMCC counterparts.
Matt Heffernan (Mattituck/Mattituck) wasted no time getting things going with a leadoff triple. He scored when Derek Fie (Corning/Corning) followed with a base hit. Fie would score on a groundout by Matt Kellner (Hamburg/Frontier).
Behrend tied the game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first.
The Devils scored four times in the second. The first two batters were retired, when Domenic Monti (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) doubled. He scored when Heffernan singled. Fie followed with a sharply hit ball off the shortstop. J.T. Angora (Rochester, N.Y./Rush Henrietta) singled to plate Fie. Kevin Yirinec (Fairport/Fairport) doubled off the wall to drive in two more.
Fredonia tacked on an unearned run in the top of the fifth, and Behrend added its final run in the bottom half of the inning.
Fredonia added two insurance runs in the ninth. With the bases loaded, Sean Whitehead (Buffalo, N.Y. / Sweet Home) grounded to second. The Behrend second sacker made an errant throw as two runners came around to score.
Heffernan, Fie, Yirinec and Kellner all had a pair of hits for Fredonia, who tallied 10 for the game. Angora reached base four times, with three walks and a hit.
Bailey Gauthier (Camilus/West Genesee) earned the win on the mound. He allowed two runs and struck out four in three innings. Nick Lawlor (Webster/Webster Schoeder) followed with a two-inning stint, giving up one run.
Four freshmen hurlers -- Ryan Howard (N.Tonawanda/Niagara Wheatfield), Sam Cestra (Pittsford/Pittsford Mendon), Pierce Gardon (Holland/Holland), and Eddie Wasnock (Barker/Barker) -- combined for four scoreless innings to close out the game.
Fredonia improves to 15-12, while Behrend falls to 16-13. The Devils are at home this weekend, taking on Plattsburgh on Friday and Saturday.
