Eight players registered hits and six accounted for runs as Oswego State scored three times in the second inning and four in the eighth inning en route to a 9-1 victory over Utica College in its season opener on Wednesday, March 25 on Laker baseball field. The game was a late addition to the schedule two days earlier in taking advantage of the mild weather in the area.

Senior left fielder Wes O'Connor (Savannah/Clyde-Savannah) was the lone player with multiple hits for the Lakers (5-2), hitting 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a run batted in, and a stolen base.  Senior first baseman Josh Stoetzel (North Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) and junior centerfielder Bryan Stark (Rochester/Greece Athena) each registered a hit and drove in three runs apiece, while senior catcher Dan Pecora (Oswego) scored twice, registered a hit and driving in a pair of runs.

Oswego jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second as Pecora's bases loaded sacrifice fly drove in junior Zack Eason (Oswego) with the game's first run and Stark's triple brought in senior KC Reardon (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) from first base and O'Connor from third.

The Lakers added runs in fifth and seventh innings before Utica scored its lone run on a homer in the top of the eighth inning. Oswego opened the bottom half of the inning loading the bases on a pair of walks and two singles before Pecora and Stark each drew walks to drive in a run each. After a Utica pitching change and a pair of outs (fielder's choice, strikeout), Stoetzel belted a single to drive in an additional two runs to cap the scoring.

Oswego used five pitchers in the contest, with sophomore starter Marc Peterson (Geneseo) tossing two innings in picking up the win, yielding only one hit and a pair of walks while striking out two batters.  Sophomore Dustin LeFave (Moravia) and juniors Dave Widrick (Lowville), and Andy Salvatore (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) pitched a pair of innings apiece, while freshman Rich Ireland (Mattituck) pitched the final innin in combining for a nine-hitter.

The Lakers take to the road for their next three games, beginning with a Noon doubleheaer SUNYAC contest with defending conference champion SUNY Cortland on Saturday, March 28, before returning home to face The College at Brockport on Sunday, Aprill 5 at 12 pm.