Just one, and that came in the very last game.

Now, in a “jack-of-all-trades” role for his hometown Onondaga Community College, Clifford is making up for lost time.

The sophomore first baseman from Syracuse collected five hits Saturday at Diethrick Park, including three doubles, while driving in five runs to propel the Lazers to a 7-3, eight-inning NJCAA Region 3 Division III victory over Jamestown CC in the opener and an 11-1 five-inning win in the nightcap.

“He’s swinging a real hot bat and he’s been consistent all season long for us,” Onondaga CC head coach John Sheedy said. “He’s had a good last two weeks and, obviously, as the weather has gotten warmer, his bat has gotten a little bit hotter.”

Jamestown Community College’s Ryan Johnson delivers to the plate during an NJCAA Region 3 Division III doubleheader against Onondaga CC on Saturday at Diethrick Park. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

Onondaga is now 15-11 overall and 9-3 in Region 3 Division III while the Jayhawks drop to 4-8 and 4-6. The two teams meet again today for another twin bill. The first pitch for the first game is scheduled for noon.

“Obviously, playing six games in three days, it’s all hands on deck,” Jamestown CC coach Matt Cummings said. “It will be pitching by committee, just trying to keep us in the ballgame and, hopefully, our offense can give us enough run support.”

With any luck, the Jayhawks could have earned a split yesterday.

After rallying for two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie Game 1, 3-3, off starting pitcher Kyle Canavally, they had the winning run at second with two outs in the bottom of the seventh against reliever Dylan McGee, but he retired Steve Krystofiak on a line drive to center to end the threat.

“We escaped in that seventh inning,” Sheedy said.

The Jayhawks’ DJ Yates makes contact during Saturday’s doubleheader.

And then the Lazers put the game away in the eighth, scoring four runs — two off losing pitcher Ryan Johnson and two off reliever Braiden Blair — highlighted by an RBI double by Clifford and a run-scoring single by James Salamone. The other two runs crossed the plate courtesy of a pair of Jayhawks’ errors.

“(Jamestown is) a solid team,” Sheedy said. “(Johnson) is a very, very good pitcher. We had a tough day at the plate with his slider and curveball. By the time we got to the eighth inning, he was up over 100 pitches. He got a little tired, left a few balls up and we were able to capitalize.”

Added Cummings: “It was a great pitching performance by Ryan. It’s just unfortunate they hit the ball where we weren’t.”

Until the eighth, the game was close.

Salamone got Onondaga CC on the scoreboard in the first inning on his first of two RBI singles. Jamestown CC tied the game in the bottom of the frame on Taylor Byrd’s run-scoring fielder’s choice. The 1-1 tie was short-lived, however, as the Lazers’ Maxx Kies deposited a Johnson offering deep over the left-field wall for a solo home run.

After that, Johnson settled down and pitched a fine game, surrendering just one hit — Clifford’s RBI single — over the next five innings, allowing the Jayhawks to rally to tie the game two runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Matt Hair led off the inning with a single and Krystofiak was hit by a pitch. Canavally retired the next two batters, but Nelson Rivera and Carlo Rodriguez followed with back-to-back RBI singles. Cannavally got Robert Herrera to fly out to center to end the inning.

“Great two-out hitting there in that rally,” Cummings said. “It was the bottom half of the lineup who produced for us and they’ve been due for a while.”

After Johnson retired Onondaga CC in order in the top of the seventh, Hair reached first on a two-out infield single to extend the Jayhawks’ at-bat in the bottom half of the inning. He advanced to second on a throwing error on the play and Caleb Palmatier was called on to pinch run, but McGee got Krystofiak to line to center to send the game to extra innings.

“We had our outfield a little more shallow,” Sheedy said. “We were really fortunate.”

In the top of the eighth, with one out, the Lazers put the game away. Josh Loeffler singled, moved up a base on Johnson’s wild pitch and scored on a single by Wilson Jimenez, who moved all the way to third on an outfield error.

Johnson was relieved by Blair, whose throwing error plated Jimenez with the second run of the inning and then Clifford followed with an RBI double and Salamone added an RBI single.

Armed with a four-run lead, McGee, who relieved Canavally to begin the seventh inning, retired the Jayhawks in order in the bottom of the eighth to earn the victory.

Clifford (double, three RBIs), Jimenez, Salamone and Kies all had two hits for the Lazers. Rodriguez, DJ Yates and Hair had two hits apiece for the Jayhawks.

In the second game, Onondaga CC scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the second off Jayhawks’ starter Caleb Caldwell, and then tacked on five more in the fifth off three Jamestown CC relievers to end the contest via the 10-run rule.

Clifford had three hits, including two doubles, and drove in three runs to lead a 15-hit attack. Lowen (double, RBI) also had three hits, while Loeffler and Salamone (double, two RBIs) had two hits, Jimenez added a two-run single and Zach Pieklik chipped in a run-scoring single.

Connor Vandreason, a transfer from St. Bonaventure, was the winning pitcher, allowing just two hits and one run, that coming in the first inning, courtesy of an RBI groundout by Herrera.

“For us, I knew right away as soon as (Vandreason) was coming, he was going to be a starting pitcher,” Sheedy said of the left-hander. “He has a funky delivery. He doesn’t overpower a ton of people, but he has a fantastic pickoff move and just keeps hitters off balance enough where he limits the damage.”