Auburndale, FL - Finishing with 18 hits as a team, the Clarkson University Baseball team raced past SUNY Oneonta, 15-2, in their final Florida game of 2026, Tuesday morning.
Clarkson improves to 7-4 overall and will return to Northern New York, turning their attention to next weekend where they travel to RIT for a conference opening weekend, March 20th and 21st. Oneonta drops to 7-6 overall.
Clarkson would continue their trend of jumping out to early leads, scoring three in the bottom of the first. Aiden Kuefner and Beau Vardion both doubled down the lines as the second double from Vardion plated Kuefner for the game's first run. CJ Cartier then earned a walk to put runners at first and second before a single to right center off the bat of Jackson Waters meant the Knights would tack on two more for a 3-0 lead.
Another three runs in the bottom of the second stretched the early lead to 6-0 as Nolan Merrow would walk to start the inning and Kuefner, James Mason, Joe Figliolino and Beau Vardion rattled off four straight singles to plate runs before Oneonta managed to record an out in the frame.
Following a two-run top of the fourth for the Red Dragons, Clarkson erupted for eight in the bottom half, nearly batting through the order twice. A throwing error from the second baseman with two outs kept the inning alive while allowing the first run to come across and open the floodgates. CJ Cartier made it 8-2, scoring on a wild pitch while a single from Nolan Merrow made it nine, scoring Aiden Serrano from third. The lead would then grow to 14-2 over the next four at-bats as Mason, Figliolino, Vardion and Cartier all connected on hits through the left side, making it seven hits total over the course of the half inning for the Golden Knights.
Vardion added another for the Knights in the bottom of the sixth, teeing off a no-doubter over the left field wall as the 15 runs would mark the highest scoring total since March 22nd of last year in a 19-9 victory over University of Rochester.
Patrick Foulis would deal four innings in his first career start for Clarkson, striking out four while allowing just two hits. Chase Fisher earned the first win of his collegiate career, walking just one, striking out one and not surrendering a single hit through two innings in relief. Matt Neglia would be handed the loss for the Red Dragons giving up three runs on three hits while failing to get out of the first inning.
Six different players would finish with two or more hits, leading Clarkson at the plate while Mason, Vardion, Figlioliono and Jackson Waters all drove in two or more runs apiece. Oneonta finished with just two hits as a team, walking just twice over the seven innings.
