Baseball | 5/10/2011 7:57:35 PM

Click here for game one stats

Click here for game two stats

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT baseball team closed out the 2011 season by splitting a pair of exciting contests against future Liberty League foe University of Rochester on a cloudy, cool, Tuesday afternoon at RIT Field. RIT came back from a 3-1 deficit to win game one, 4-3, while Rochester came back from 3-1 down, and squandered a 6-3 lead, only to win game two, 7-6. RIT finishes the season 16-19, while Rochester is 14-20.

RIT trailed 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh of game one, when with one out, Ben Robertson (Mecklenburg, NY/Trumansburg) singled, then advanced to second on a passed ball. After Justin Smith (Livonia, NY/Livonia) was hit by a pitch, Kreag Bradley (Victor, NY/Victor) singled softly to right field, scoring Robertson to make it 3-2. Smith went first to third and scored when the right fielder overthrew third, tying the game at 3-3. After a groundout advanced Bradley to third, Dave Kernan (North Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) hit a walk-off infield single that scored Bradley with the winning run.

Matt Francis was 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, and two stolen bases for the Yellowjackets.

Smith was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and stolen base for the Tigers. He stole his 60th career base in the first inning. Robertson was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Brad Wright (Baldswinville, NY/C.W. Baker) picked up his first win of the season, throwing a scoreless seventh inning. Ron Canestro (East Amherst, NY/Nichols) started for the Tigers and threw well, allowing six hits, and one earned run, while striking out six batters in six innings.

Jon Menke took the loss for Rochester, allowing six hits and two earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.

In game two, RIT scored three times in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-1 lead, but Rochester responded with four in the top of the top of fourth and one in the fifth to take a 6-3 lead.

After RIT cut the lead to 6-4 in the fifth, Jon Meyer (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) hit a two-run single to left field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 6-6.

Rochester got its lead back in the top of the seventh, as Dom Caruso scored on a wild pitch with two outs. Steve Just led off the inning with a single and was pinch run for by Caruso. After a sacrifice, single, and pop-up, Caruso was able to score on a wild pitch thrown by RIT's Charles Yarrington (Rochester, NY/Pittsford Sutherland).

The Tigers looked to have some late inning magic in them once more in the seventh, as Brian Brazee (Auburn, NY/Auburn) led off by getting hit by a pitch. Jeffrey Creagh (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) pinch ran from Brazee and advanced to third after Ben Robertson (Mecklenburg, NY/Trumansburg) recorded a bunt single, also moving up on a throwing error. Canestro hit a rope to right field that was caught by Alex Caghan. Caghan in turn, fired a rope to the plate that was able to beat Creagh, who tagged up from third for the double play. The following batter grounded out to end the game.

Just was 3-for-3 with a hit by pitch for the Yellowjackets, while Tyler DeClerk was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Charles Chanatry picked up the win in relief, allowing two runs in the sixth inning. Corey King earned his fourth save of the season.

Walt Roman (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport), Brazee, and Ventura each had two hits for RIT. Meyer drove in a pair of runs, while Smith stole three bases, scored twice, had a single, walk, and hit by pitch. His first inning single gave him 200 career total bases, becoming just the second Tiger to accomplish that feat.

Chris Dickinson (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) started for RIT, allowing three hits in two innings. Dan Schuster (Livonia, NY/Livonia) and Michael Burns (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) also pitched in middle relief for the Tigers.

RIT will move to the Liberty League starting with the 2012 season.