CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu, 518-629-7898
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Saturday, April 28, 2018

Hudson Valley Community College baseball team (15-9) took a hard fought split on the road today against Fulton-Montgomery at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam, NY.  

Game One: Hudson Valley 1, Fulton-Montgomery 2 (9 Innings)

The Vikings needed late game magic to force extra innings against the Raiders in the opening game of the series but fell after Fulton-Montgomery scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Nick Hansen (Troy/La Salle Institute) answered the bell in the top of the seventh as he led off the inning and connected for the game-tying home run, forcing extra innings and breathing new life in the Vikings.

Fulton-Montgomery finally broke through in the bottom of the ninth inning as they reached base with a leadoff double and scored during the next at-bat, winning the game on an error by the Vikings pitcher.

Luuk Visser (Holland,Netherlands/Thorbecke) added two hits and Nick Thomas (Scotia/Scotia-Glenville) had a double in the fifth inning of game one.

Game Two: Hudson Valley 7, Fulton-Montgomery 5

The Vikings responded with a win in the second game of the day behind the powerful bats of Jackson Wenstrom (Mandan, North Dakota/Mandan) and Jonathan Montesanti (Niskayuna/Colonie). In the second inning, Wenstrom and Montesanti hit back-to-back home runs, with Wenstrom driving in three runs to extend the Vikings lead to 7-0. Wenstrom is currently on a 12-game hitting streak and is leading the Vikings with a .482 batting average.

The seven runs in the first two innings proved to be enough to earn the Vikings a win but Fulton-Montgomery didn't go away lightly as they fought their way back, scoring three runs in the final two innings.

Hansen (2-for-3) and Visser (2-for-3) continued to hit the ball well in game two as they combined for four hits and two runs scored. Following today's three hit day, Hansen has now hit safely in nine straight games. Visser has hit safely in 10 of the last 12 games including three straight multi-hit games.

Nick Zuba (East Greenbush/Columbia) earned his second win of the season after giving up only two runs on two hits with four strikeouts in five innings. Chris Kordziel (Rotterdam/Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons) pitched the sixth inning and Jacob Shippey (Charlton/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) earned his first save of the year after striking out three Raiders in the final inning.  

On Deck:

The Vikings return home tomorrow, Sunday, April 29 to play Fulton-Montgomery at Joe Bruno Stadium with the first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.