Baseball | 4/13/2014 5:13:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT baseball team (13-6, 8-3 Liberty League) rebounded from recording just two hits in a 4-1 game one loss to Skidmore (6-15, 1-9 Liberty League) to slam 17 hits in a 12-7 game two victory, as the two Liberty League schools split a doubleheader from Tiger Stadium on a warm, breezy Sunday afternoon.

In game two, RIT scored twice in the first inning before Skidmore roared back with four runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a 4-2 lead. RIT would rally by scoring nine times over the next seven innings and build an 11-5 lead, hanging on for the win.

Eight of RIT's nine starters had at least one hit in the victory, with six players recording at least two hits. Freshman Will Gorman (Nassau, NY/Columbia) led the way with his first collegiate four-hit game, going 4-for-6 with a triple, run scored, and two RBI's. Ronnie Canestro (East Amherst, NY/Nichols) had three hits, while Matt Holtby (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) drove in three runs. Skip Flanagan (Framingham, MA/Bishop Feehan) was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, and two RBI's. Chris Barr (North Wales, PA/North Penn ) singled, doubled, and scored twice, while Zach Zabel (Clarence, NY/Clarence) and Phil Sammon (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield) had two hits apiece. Sammon hit his first collegiate home run, a solo shot over the left field wall to lead off the fourth inning.

Walt Roman (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) scored three runs in the win, walking once, and getting hit by a pitch twice. He was intentionally walked five times over the weekend and hit by pitch three times. He now has been hit 10 times this season and has 68 in his RIT career, tied for sixth all-time at the Division III level.

Senior hurler Michael Burns (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) picked up his first win of the season, shaking off a rocky first inning to allow four earned runs and strike out four batters in 5 1/3 innings. The first five batters reached in the opening inning, but Burns allowed just four hits after that, getting a key double play to get out of trouble in the opening inning. Conor Herlihy (Geneseo, NY/Geneseo) came on in relief and pitched the final 3 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and three runs to earn his second save of the season.

Marco Baratta led Skidmore by going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, and two runs scored. Mat Marino had two hits and stole two bases, while Alex Pavelock was 3-for-4. Issac Forman took the loss in relief on the mound.

In game one, RIT opened the scoring in the first inning, as Zabel singled and stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Barr, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Sammon. After the first inning, Skidmore pitcher Nick Petrella cruised, allowing just a second inning walk to Taylor Hogan (Rochester, NY/Brighton) and fifth inning single by CJ Bolorin (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) in retiring 18 of the last 20 batters. He allowed just two hits and struck out four batters in earning his first win of the season. Petrella needed just 77 pitches in the complete-game win.

Skidmore scored a pair of unearned runs in the second inning and single runs in the third and fifth frames. Nick Barra was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, while Jeb Clarke was 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI.

Canestro took the loss on the mound for RIT, allowing a pair of earned runs, while striking out a career-best nine hitters in the 83-pitch complete-game effort.

RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 14-10. Yesterday, the Tigers needed some walk-off magic to sweep a doubleheader against the Thoroughbreds, winning game one by a score of 2-1 in 10 innings, and game two by the same score in nine innings.

The Tigers return to action on Wednesday with a single, nine-inning non-conference contest at St. John Fisher.