By Troy Juhn

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, last Friday was the season and home opener for the Utica Blue Sox. In a packed house at Murnane Field, the Blue Sox comeback fell short in the 9th to lose 8-7 against the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs. The game was tied heading into the eighth inning, until 1B Jason Campo scored on a Gavin Enright wild pitch. The Diamond Dawgs scored 8 runs on just 6 hits, and 4 of those runs were unearned. The Blue Sox’s pitching staff also hit 6 batters. Utica did everything they could to win on the offensive end, recording 12 hits and also drawing 8 walks. But the Sox squandered opportunities late in the game, stranding 12 runners, including the bases loaded in the eighth and runners at the corners in the 9th. 

Norris McClure led the Blue Sox with 3 hits, while Jaden Ohmer and Matthew Williams led the team with 2 RBIs each. For Mohawk Valley, Brody Rasmussen recorded 2 hits and Ryan Frontera drove in two runs. On the mound, Jaden Fateman got the win for the Diamond Dawgs after throwing 2 shutout innings, while Gavin Enright got the loss for the Blue Sox after 2 innings allowing an earned run on one hit and two walks. 

Less than 24 hours later, the Blue Sox played the Diamond Dawgs once again this time at Veteran’s Memorial Park saturday night. Utica started hot out the gates, with two HRs from Max French and Trayce Hartman as part of a six run first inning. The Blue Sox never looked back in an 8-3 victory. Ryan King pitched strong in his first outing of the season, striking out 5 of the 8 batters he faced in 2 innings. Ryan Caroll, Luke Baker, Daury Rodriguez and Kris Giangreco limited the damage the rest of the way, striking out 9 hitters in total. Mohawk Valley starter Austin Barnao was chased out of the game after giving up six in the 1st inning. Keegan Burke, Gage Miller and Bryan Rios finished the game for the Diamond Dawgs, allowing just one ER and striking out 10 hitters in total. 4 different Blue Sox had multi-hit games and all 10 hitters reached base at least once.

Utica remains on the road as they take on the Boonville Lumberjacks tonight at 6:45. The Blue Sox return home Tuesday in an Exhibition against the All Stars Academy before hosting the Watertown Rapids on Wednesday morning at 10:30 on Kids Day Out. Purchase tickets for every Blue Sox home game at uticabluesox.net