Hitmen Split Twinbill with Rapids on Tuesday

HORSEHEADS, N.Y. — The Horseheads Hitmen earned a split of their Tuesday doubleheader against the Watertown Rapids, dropping the opener 10-8 before rallying for a 3-1 victory in the nightcap at home.

Game 1: Rapids 10, Hitmen 8

Horseheads jumped out to an early lead, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning and extending the advantage to 7-2 through four frames. Marco Pulizzi powered the offense with a two-run home run and finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Michael Sabella collected two hits and scored twice.

Watertown battled back with a five-run fifth inning and added three more runs in the seventh to erase the deficit. The Rapids capitalized on 11 walks issued by Hitmen pitching and received multi-RBI performances from Tommy Ocasal and Grant Bazinet.

Horseheads finished with nine hits, getting RBIs from Pulizzi, Nate Helms, Alex Glasscock, Julian Lamper-Turkisher, Yahir Ortiz, Joshua Ramos, and Keon Lamarche, but could not overcome the late Rapids surge.

Game 2: Hitmen 3, Rapids 1

The nightcap turned into a pitchers' duel, with Horseheads held scoreless through six innings before breaking through dramatically in the bottom of the seventh. Trailing 1-0 entering their final at-bat, the Hitmen loaded the bases, and Joshua Ramos delivered the decisive blow—a walk-off three-run home run that lifted Horseheads to the victory. Ramos accounted for all three RBIs in the game and finished 1-for-3.

Luke Richards and Connor Monroe combined to limit Watertown to just one hit while striking out seven batters. The Rapids' lone run came in the second inning, but the Hitmen pitching staff shut the door the rest of the way to set up the seventh-inning comeback.

Sabella paced the offense with two doubles, while Marco Pulizzi, Julian Lamper-Turkisher, Yahir Ortiz, and Ramos each added a hit as Horseheads improved to 3-3 on the season.

The split leaves the Hitmen with a 3-3 record through six games as they continue their early-season schedule in the New York Collegiate Baseball League.