During a season, there are always high and low points. For the Plattsburgh State baseball team, last weekend ended with a high point that the team hopes can lead to future success.
After dropping the first two contests of a three-game series against New Paltz last weekend, the Cardinals (3-17, 1-5 SUNYAC) secured their first conference win, defeating the Hawks 8-4.
PSUC head coach Kris Doorey said his team preformed well in their latest game, utilizing their small-ball mentality, and he also acknowledged how the victory boosted the Cards’ confidence.
“Everybody was into the game,” Doorey said. “We did a lot of things offensively that excited people. The guys saw that they can do positive things opposed to the struggles that they’ve been having, so hopefully, they can build off of that.”
Freshman pitcher Matt Fox tallied the win on the mound for the Cards against New Paltz, throwing six innings, allowing five hits and surrendering just one earned run. He acknowledged how locating his pitches was key to his outstanding outing, and he also complimented the defense working behind him.
“I was just hitting my spots with all my pitches,” Fox said. “I only had one strikeout, but I just pitched to contact and relied on the defense to make the plays.”
So far this season, Fox has been an essential component for PSUC’s pitching staff. The right-hander leads the Cards in wins with three and also supports a 2.57 ERA, which also ranks first on the team.
Fox noted there were many positives in the Cards’ most recent game, and he said if PSUC can carry over their prior successes to future games, it would benefit the team.
“We had a pretty strong display of pitching, our defense was very solid and the hitting was great,” Fox said. “So as long as we just keep hitting and have solid defense with good pitching, I think we will be pretty set.”
Fox said PSUC believes their win can serve as good momentum for future games, and the team wants to maintain the positivity it created.
Junior catcher Trevor Markey, who is one of the Cards’ offensive leaders with a .368 average, said the team can’t be complacent and has to keep a focused and hard-working mindset.
“We absolutely need to build on the win last weekend,” Markey said. “We need to go out and just take one game at a time. We have to play really well and have the pitchers build on the last performance, the hitters preform on their last offensive game and the defense continue to improve.”
The Cards will look to continue their recent success with a three-game road trip against three different opponents this weekend. PSUC will play Mount Saint Mary College tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, and then they will travel to Farmingdale to play Farmingdale State College tomorrow at 3 p.m. and Clarkson University Sunday at 10 a.m.
All three games are non-conference matchups, but this does not mean the games have no importance. The Cards know they will face quality teams this weekend and plan to use these games to improve as a whole and prepare for their upcoming SUNYAC opponents at the same time.
“It’s not like we have a weekend off,” Doorey said. “It’s just a different weekend. We have to play these teams because it’s just a good experience for our players to get better. It doesn’t do us any good to play weak teams. We have to find a way to fight through these games and get ready for Oswego, Cortland, Oneonta and Fredonia.”
Analyzing what it will take for PSUC to continue being successful and secure wins this weekend, Doorey had a simple explanation regarding how the team needs to play.
“They have to believe in themselves and each other,” Doorey said. “If they can believe in themselves and each other, then they have got a shot. Other than that, it’s just about letting their ability take over and believing that things are going to work.”
Email Joey LaFranca at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
