Bronx, NY - The John Jay baseball dropped its home opener on Saturday to the visiting Plattsburgh State Cardinals, 7-6 in game one and 17-3 in the nightcap.
The Bloodhounds fall to 1-8 on the season while the Cardinals move to 6-1.

Game 1 | John Jay 6, Plattsburgh State 7
The Bloodhounds answered a four-run top of the first inning with three in the bottom of the frame before taking a 6-4 advantage after three, but Plattsburgh State answered immediately in the following frame and held on for a 7-6 win in Saturday's opener. behind strong relief pitching to secure the victory.

Plattsburgh wasted little time establishing momentum, striking for four runs in the top of the first inning. After Jackson Pam led off with a double to left field, Michael Piccirillo worked a walk to put two runners on. A flyout moved the inning along before a hit batter loaded the bases.  The Cardinals capitalized from there. Ryan Hart was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home the game's first run. Moments later, Logan Provost delivered an RBI single through the left side that plated another run. A wild pitch allowed an additional run to cross the plate, and Bostyn Duquette capped the rally with an RBI groundout to give Plattsburgh a quick 4–0 lead. 

John Jay answered immediately in the bottom of the first inning and capitalized on a defensive miscue to pull within striking distance. After Jayden Dixon reached on a walk and stole second base, Sebastian Sanchez singled through the left side to put runners on the corners. Hayden Tackett then drew a walk to load the bases. Jaxen Gangwish brought home the Bloodhounds' first run with an RBI groundout, and the pressure continued to mount when Itaru Asai reached on a fielding error at first base. The misplay allowed both Tackett and Sanchez to score, cutting the deficit to 4–3 after the opening frame. 

Plattsburgh starter Justin Sargent worked through traffic in the second inning before retiring the side in order during the third, while John Jay starter Sean Jost kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard in the second and third frames despite issuing several hit batters. The game remained a one-run contest heading into the bottom of the third. 

The Bloodhounds broke through with a decisive rally in the third inning to swing the momentum. Hayden Tackett sparked the inning with a double to left-center field. After a strikeout and flyout threatened to strand the runner, Ichiro Washington kept the inning alive with a single and quickly stole second base to move both runners into scoring position. Alex Daly then delivered the tying blow, lining an RBI single that brought Tackett home to even the score at 4–4. Moments later, a wild pitch allowed Washington to race home and Daly to move to third, giving John Jay its first lead of the afternoon. The Bloodhounds added another insurance run when James Horodyski singled through the left side to plate Daly and push the advantage to 6–4. 

Plattsburgh responded in the very next inning to regain control. After a walk and a hit batter placed two runners aboard in the fourth inning, Jonathan Beale came through with a clutch RBI single to trim the deficit to one run. A passed ball moments later allowed another run to score and tie the game at 6–6. The Cardinals completed the comeback when Frankie Kowal drove a double into right field, bringing home Beale to give Plattsburgh a 7–6 lead. 

John Jay turned to reliever Danny Opramolla, who limited the damage by striking out Hart to end the inning. The Cardinals relied on their bullpen to preserve the narrow lead. Kyle Sperring, who entered in the third inning, delivered three scoreless frames to earn the victory. The right-hander allowed just two hits while working around a pair of walks. 

John Jay had opportunities to tie the game late. In the sixth inning, Sanchez doubled to right-center and Tackett walked to put the tying run aboard, but a groundout ended the threat.
The Bloodhounds also mounted pressure in the seventh when Alex Daly recorded his third hit of the afternoon with a two-out single, but Plattsburgh closer Liam Suozzo shut the door to secure his third save of the season.

John Jay collected nine hits in the contest, led by Daly, who finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Sebastian Sanchez added two hits, while Hayden Tackett reached base four times and scored twice. On the mound, Opramolla was effective in relief for the Bloodhounds, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out three and allowing just one hit.

Plattsburgh managed only five hits but made the most of its opportunities early in the game. Jonathan Beale, Frankie Kowal, Ryan Hart, Logan Provost, and Bostyn Duquette each drove in runs.

Game 2 | John Jay 3, Plattsburgh State 17
John Jay got production from several spots in the lineup and showed resilience at the plate, but a pair of big innings by Plattsburgh proved too much to overcome as the Bloodhounds fell to the Cardinals, 17-3, in game two.

Plattsburgh broke the game open with a five-run second inning and an eight-run third, building a 13-0 advantage before John Jay settled in and answered with runs in the third and fourth.

The Bloodhounds continued to compete offensively, finishing with seven hits and eight walks, but the early deficit was too much to erase as Plattsburgh improved behind winning pitcher Ryan Loughlin, who moved to 1-0. Michael Luongo was charged with the loss for John Jay and fell to 0-1.

Lucas Perez scored twice and finished 1-for-3 with a walk, Jayden Dixon went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, and Sebastian Sanchez drove in two runs while reaching base twice. Jaxen Gangwish also contributed an RBI single, while Hayden Tackett and James Horodyski each added a hit.

Plattsburgh, meanwhile, totaled 16 hits and seven walks, with David Wallace, Marc Cancelliere, Colin Ross and Jonathan Beale leading a balanced offensive attack. Wallace went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs, Cancelliere finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Ross added two hits and two RBIs before leaving the game. The Cardinals scored 17 runs, 13 of which were earned.

The Bloodhounds threatened first in the bottom of the opening inning. After Jose Suero struck out to start the frame, Dixon lined a double down the right-field line to put a runner in scoring position. However, Dixon was picked off and Sanchez later struck out as the game remained scoreless through one. 

Plattsburgh then capitalized in the second. After Austin Caldwell walked and Luciano Fiorello was hit by a pitch, Wallace reached on a throwing error that brought home the game's first run. Later in the inning, Cancelliere singled back toward the mound and two unearned runs scored, before Ross followed with a two-run single through the left side to stretch the Cardinals' lead to 5-0. John Jay helped turn momentum briefly with a double play to end the inning, but Plattsburgh had already seized control.

John Jay put two aboard in the bottom of the second after Tackett was hit by a pitch and Gangwish worked a walk, but Loughlin escaped the jam with a strikeout, a flyout and another strikeout to keep the Bloodhounds off the board.

The Cardinals delivered the decisive blow in the third. Caldwell opened the inning by drawing a walk, Fiorello singled, and Wallace ripped a two-run double to left field. After Luongo exited, Tyler Martin and Cancelliere each recorded RBI doubles, and Plattsburgh continued to string together quality at-bats. Beale added a two-run single to right, Ross scored on a wild pitch, and Frankie Kowal later singled in another run as the Cardinals sent the lead to 13-0.

John Jay answered in the bottom half. Perez started the inning with a single up the middle, and Suero followed with a walk. The runners advanced on a wild pitch, and after a strikeout and a walk, loaded the bases. Gangwish lined an RBI single to left to bring home Perez and put the Bloodhounds on the scoreboard. 

Plattsburgh was quiet in the fourth, thanks in part to a caught stealing and a strikeout, and John Jay took advantage with its best inning of the day in the bottom half. Horodyski drew a walk, though he was later caught stealing, and Perez and Suero followed with back-to-back free passes. Dixon then walked to load the bases, setting the table for Sanchez, who shot a single back up the middle to plate Suero and Perez and cut the deficit to 13-3. Tackett followed with another walk to extend the rally, but the Cardinals recorded the final out before further damage could be done.

That would be as close as the Bloodhounds would get. Plattsburgh tacked on four more runs in the fifth, using three walks and two hits to push the margin to 17-3. Braeden Calkins delivered an RBI single up the middle, Wallace brought in another run on a fielder's choice, and Jackson Paplin capped the inning with a two-run single to left.

John Jay continued to create some traffic over the final three innings but could not cash in. In the fifth, Daly was hit by a pitch and Horodyski singled to put two aboard. In the sixth, Dixon singled and Tackett added a base hit through the left side, giving the Bloodhounds two more baserunners. But Plattsburgh's bullpen combined to keep John Jay off the board the rest of the way.

After Loughlin worked the first three innings, Jason Carrasco allowed two runs in the fourth, Drew Romesser tossed a scoreless fifth, Cole Wetzel escaped the sixth, and Kwintin Nurse struck out two in a perfect seventh to close it out for the Cardinals.

For John Jay on the mound, Luongo struck out four over 2.1 innings before giving way. Alex Morrissey was charged with four runs without recording an out, Julio Reyes worked 2.0 innings, and Saujan Christie provided an encouraging finish by tossing 2.2 scoreless innings in relief. Christie allowed four hits, did not issue a walk, and struck out two while helping stabilize things late.

The Bloodhounds are back in action on Sunday morning as they travel to Purchase for a doubleheader beginning at 11:00 a.m.