The Tompkins Cortland Community College baseball team faced a tall order on Tuesday – taking to the road for a doubleheader against a nationally ranked team. Playing at #5-ranked Herkimer College, the Panthers came up on the short end of a pair of lopsided scores, falling 16-6 and 8-0. The losses drop Tompkins Cortland to 4-7 overall and 3-5 in East Division games. Herkimer is now 18-2 overall and 13-1 in division.

Game One: Herkimer 16, Tompkins Cortland 6   (5 innings)

The game start was promising, with the Panthers putting two runners on with one out in the top of the first. A strikeout and groundout ended the opportunity, and before the Panthers could claim any momentum, Herkimer took the game over with two runs in the first, five in the second, and three in the third.

The Panthers finally made a move to get back in the game in the sixth inning. Trailing 10-0, the first four Panthers to come to the plate in the sixth inning reached and came around to score, with Vinny Perrotta (New Hartford/Vinny Hartford H.S.) clearing the bases with a three-run homer that made it 10-4. After a strikeout and a walk, Taj Muhammad (Franklin Township, N.J./Franklin H.S.) blasted the Panthers second home run of the inning, making the score 10-6. A pair of walks and a walk loaded the bases with one out, bringing the tying run to the plate, but the threat flamed out with a pair of strikeouts.

In the bottom of the inning seven straight Generals reached safely, starting with a pair of walks, a pair of hits, and a home run. Before the Panthers could record a single out, Herkimer had plated six runs and pushed the lead back to 10 runs, ending the game by the ten-run rule.

Perrotta finished 2-for-3 as the lone Panther with multiple hits in game one.

Game Two: Herkimer 8, Tompkins Cortland 0

After collecting ten hits in five innings in the opener, the Panthers could manage just two singles over seven innings in the nightcap. While Herkimer pitching was keeping Tompkins Cortland quiet – at one point setting down 13 Panthers in a row – the Generals were making just enough noise at the plate. The home team scored three times in the first to take the lead, and added another in the fourth and four more in the sixth. It was more than in this game as the Panthers managed just two hits and four baserunners over seven innings.

Ethan Buckley (Bath/Haverling H.S.) and Luke Ough (Edmeston/Edmeston H.S.) had the hits for the Panthers, with Ough making his collegiate debut on the mound. The freshman worked into the sixth inning, allowing six runs while striking out four.

Looking ahead

The Panthers and Generals are scheduled to square off again on Thursday. The doubleheader is set to be held at Gutchess Park in Cortlandville, starting at 2 p.m.