Brockport, NY – The Brockport baseball team (16-13, 12-0 E8) travels to Albany, NY, for a pivotal three-game Empire 8 series against Russell Sage (23-4, 12-0 E8), beginning Friday, April 17 at 6 p.m. The series concludes with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon.

Home Opener Success

The Golden Eagles opened their home schedule with a 14-4 (7 inn.) victory over Houghton on Tuesday, extending their winning streak to 14 games and improving to a perfect 12-0 in conference play.

James Dixon delivered a flawless performance at the plate, reaching base five times while going 4-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored, and one RBI.

Evan Brock matched the production, finishing 3-for-3 with two hit-by-pitches, four runs scored, two doubles, and two RBIs.

Michael Norton continued his strong season, going 3-for-4 with two extra-base hits, including a two-run home run, while scoring three times and driving in two runs.

Charles Searle (W, 4-0) anchored the bullpen effort, tossing three hitless innings with two strikeouts to close out the shortened contest.

Strikeout Record

In last week's 12-inning win over SUNY Poly, Brockport set a new program record for strikeouts in a single game. Camden Schaffer (8 SO), Tyler Arno (4 SO), and Brendan Pajak (9 SO, W) combined for 21 strikeouts in a dominant performance.

The pitching staff continues to trend upward, with Pajak (10.2 IP) and Arno (3.2 IP) each carrying active scoreless appearance streaks.

Seeing Red

Brockport's offense has been fueled by several extended on-base streaks. Matthew Coon leads the way with a 24-game streak of reaching base and owns the team's longest hitting streak at 18 games. He is currently on pace to set career highs in batting average (.340) and slugging percentage (.600).

Michael Norton has also been dominant, reaching base in 15 straight games while leading the team in batting average (.381), OPS (1.118), and slugging percentage (.639). Over his last seven games, Norton is hitting .558 (19-for-34) with 12 runs scored, nine extra-base hits (2 HR), and eight RBIs.

Leadoff hitter Josh Indek has reached base in 17 consecutive games and leads the Empire 8 with 29 walks (24th in Division III). He ranks second on the team with a .461 on-base percentage and is one walk shy of breaking Tom Weiner's program record of 92 career walks.

Pitching Resurgence

The Golden Eagles' pitching staff has found its rhythm down the stretch. Ben Yerina has been dominant over his last three starts, allowing just two earned runs across 18.2 innings (0.99 ERA), while leading the team in ERA (3.60) and WHIP (1.14).

Tyler Pohlman has also been effective, recording 22 strikeouts over his last three starts (20.1 IP, 2.24 ERA) without allowing a home run this season.

Several Brockport pitchers maintain perfect ERAs across multiple appearances, including Logan Sajadk (7.1 IP, 5 SO), Connor Furst (4.2 IP, 3 SO), Ryan Johnston (2.2 IP, 1 SO), and Connor Quinn (2.0 IP, 1 SO).

Battle for First Place

This weekend's matchup carries significant Empire 8 implications, as both Brockport and Russell Sage enter the series undefeated in conference play at 12-0, each with 24 points. The winner of the series will take sole possession of first place with seven conference games remaining. Brockport will look to continue its push toward a repeat Empire 8 regular-season title.

Scouting Sage

Russell Sage enters the weekend after seeing its 16-game winning streak snapped in a loss at William College on Tuesday, before rebounding with an 18-14 win over Utica on Wednesday. Friday's opener marks head coach Nick Pontari's first matchup against his former team. Brockport has won seven of the last eight meetings between the programs.

Up Next

The Golden Eagles return home to host St. John Fisher on Wednesday, April 22, at 3 p.m.