| 5/4/2003 6:20:51 PM
Click here for the boxscore of game 1
Click here for the boxscore of game 2
CANTON, N.Y. - The RIT Baseball team closed out the regular season by splitting a double header against St. Lawrence University 8-6 and 6-4.
In the first game, the Saints held RIT in check when Jesse Emilo pitched five scoreless innings and allowed only one hit. St. Lawrence capitalized in the bottom of the fifth inning by scoring a run off of an RIT fielding error.
The Tigers made up for the mistake by putting up a five run sixth inning. Right fielder Mark Sapienza (Avon, NY/Avon Central) (Rochester, N.Y.) started the scoring off by knocking in Jeff Ware (Orchard Park, NY/St. Francis) (Orchard Park, N.Y.) on a double to center field. Jamie Schild (Fairport, NY/Fairport) (Fairport, N.Y.) kept the runs coming in with a single to knock in another run. Andrew Zach (Buffalo, N.Y./Kenmore East) (Buffalo, N.Y.) followed up bunting and reaching on a fielder's choice to allow Sapienza to score while Dan Feldman (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) (Brewster, N.Y.) walked with the bases loaded to bring in the final RBI of the inning. Adam Gerentine (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro High School) (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) scored on a Saints' fielding error to complete the five run inning for the Tigers. St. Lawrence responded by putting up five runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to regain the lead at 6-5 heading into the seventh.
Fielding errors by the Saints in the seventh inning would prove to be costly as RIT scored three unearned runs to regain the lead 8-6. Matt Knodel (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) (Orchard Park, N.Y.) came on in relief in the bottom of the seventh and allowing only one hit to earn the victory of the Tigers. Knodel's victory was his eighth on the year breaking RIT's previous record of seven held by four others. Knodel finished the year with a record of 8-1 with 3 saves, 43 strikeouts, and a 3.47 era on 49 and 1/3rd innings pitched.
Unfortunately the Tigers couldn't sweep the double header and lost the second game 6-4. Eric Hauser (East Aurora, N.Y./Iroquois) (East Aurora, N.Y.) led the Tigers by going 2-2 with two RBIs in the second game.
RIT finishes the year 19-12 overall. A 4-4 Empire 8 record puts the Tigers in a 3-way tie for second and hopefully a berth in E8 Tournament.
