| 4/18/2003 7:17:55 PM
Click here for the boxscore of game 1
Click here for the boxscore of game 2
ITHACA, N.Y.—The Rochester Institute of Technology baseball team traveled to Ithaca to battle for the top place in the Empire 8. The Tigers rallied in seventh inning of the first game to seal the 7-5 victory. RIT could not complete the sweep of the Bombers as they dropped the second game by a score of 6-0.
In the first game, RIT fell behind early when Ithaca tallied three hits in the first inning to score a run. The Tigers pushed across a run of their own in the second when Mark Sapienza (Avon, NY/Avon Central) (Avon,N.Y.) reached on a fielder's choice, stole second base, advanced to third on an errant pick-off throw by Ithaca pitcher Mike Urvalek (Ballston Lake, N.Y.), and scored on Jamie Schild (Fairport, NY/Fairport)'s (Fairport, N.Y.) single. Ithaca scored another run in the bottom of the second before the Tigers were able to take the lead when they scored two runs in the top of the fourth. Dan Feldman (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) (Brewster, N.Y.) started the inning with a double to right center and scored on a fielder's choice from Schild. Schild would later come around to score when senior Marty Maynard (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) (Penfield, N.Y.) lined a two out single to center field.
Senior pitcher Matt Knodel (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) (Orchard Park, N.Y.) held Ithaca at bay until the sixth when errors allowed Ithaca to push across two unearned runs. Freshman Dan Philipp (Greece, N.Y.) picked up the victory by entering the game with the bases loaded with no outs and RIT down by one run. Philipp (1-0) was able to get a ground ball to first base, where first baseman Eric Hauser (East Aurora, N.Y./Iroquois) (East Aurora, N.Y.) threw home to get the out. Philipp then induced a pop up to shortstop, and a fly out to left field, to escape the inning with no further damage.
RIT went to the seventh inning down by a score of 4-3, when Mayard led off with an infield single. Hauser then pushed a bunt past the pitcher for a single, and Colin Bradley (Barre, VT/Spaulding High School) (Barre, VT) sacrificed them into scoring position. Jeff Ware (Orchard Park, NY/St. Francis) (Orchard Park, N.Y.) drove in the tying run when he hit a hard line shot at the third baseman who could not handle it. Hauser scored the go ahead run when Sapienza grounded to the pitcher who threw it away. Ware advanced to third on the play and would later score the eventual game winning run on a wild pitch. Sapienza would score an insurance run by advancing to third and scoring on yet another error by an Ithaca pitcher.
The Bombers threatened in the bottom of the seventh, scoring and unearned run and getting men to second and third with only one out before junior Dan Weglinski (Hyde Park, NY/F D Roosevelt) (Hyde Park, N.Y.) came into the game to get a strikeout and fly out to right field to pick up his first save of the year.
In game two, RIT was unfortunate enough to run into a spectacular pitching performance by Ithaca junior Kyle Sottung (Pulaski, N.Y.). Sottung (4-3) struck out 14 Tigers in the complete game shutout. Ithaca scored a run in the second inning, two in the third inning, and three in the fourth inning to complete the scoring. Maynard and Ware tallied hits for RIT while senior Paul Diedrich (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton) (Hilton, N.Y.) shut the Bombers out in relief while striking out two.
RIT returns to action on Tuesday when the begin a six game home stand by hosting Empire Eight foe St. John Fisher in a double header beginning at 2 p.m. at RIT Field.
