ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT bats were on fire as the Tigers (12-4, 6-1 Liberty League) combined to score 26 runs against Liberty League foe Vassar College (3-11, 2-10 Liberty League) on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Tiger stadium. RIT won game one, 11-2 and kept it rolling to win game two, 15-1. This is the second conference doubleheader that RIY has scored in double figures in both games. Back on March 30, RIT defeated St. Lawrence 17-1 in game one, and 16-13 in game two, scoring 33 runs that day.
In game one, Vassar got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning, with a single to right field with two runners on that scored one run. The Brewers would score another on one Tiger error and no hits in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 2-2.
The Tigers scored two runs in the top of the second to grab a short 2-1 lead.
CJ Bolorin (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) got on base off of a Vassar error. Sophomore
Will Gorman (Nassau, NY/Columbia) blasted a triple to center field that scored Bolorin.
Taylor Hogan (Rochester, NY/Brighton) grounded out to short but recorded the RBI to score Gorman.
RIT maintained a 3-2 lead until the top of the seventh when the bats started to get hot. The Tigers scored eight runs in the inning on six hits and one error. Senior
Skip Flanagan (Framingham, MA/Bishop Feehan) recorded three RBIs, going 2-for-5 in game one, while Bolorin and Hogan each brought in two runs.
Junior
Rory Little (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) was great on the mound, going all seven innings, giving up three hits, and two runs. Little registered four strikeouts and only two walks.
In game two, RIT picked up right where they left off in game one, scoring four runs in the opening inning. The Tigers offense was great scoring in six of the nine innings, while the defense was sound, giving up only one run in the eighth inning.
Hogan and
Ben Terzini (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) each doubled and recorded an RBI.
Dom Scialabba (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) blasted a triple, knocking in a run. Terzini was 3-for-6 with three runs scored, while
Brian Battaglia (Sliver Spring, MD/James Hubert Blake) was 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Flanagan drove in three runs for the second game in a row.
Conor Herlihy (Geneseo, NY/Geneseo) picked up his third win of the season on the mound in game two, pitching five innings.
David Nitsch (Penfield, NY/Penfield),
Tom Dillon (Oswego, NY/Oswego),
Brett Bouchard (Fairport, NY/Fairport), and
Kyle Povlock (Fairport, NY/Fairport) each pitched an inning apiece, giving up a total of four hits and one run.
"Like most days it comes from pitching and defense," said RIT head coach
Rob Grow. "We did a great job with that today. The first game was close the first six innings and our pitching and defense was right on and we were able to break it open in the end. Our bats were great in the second game and we were able to break away early. We are looking forward to warmer weather and playing more consistently as the season goes on."
RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 11-7, and went 3-1 against the Brewers this weekend. Yesterday, the two teams split a doubleheader, with RIT winning game one, 4-2 and Vassar rallying to take game two, 6-5.
The Tigers are 12-4 and off to their best start in four Liberty League seasons at 6-1. The Tigers are currently third in the league standings.
The Tigers are back in action Wednesday, April 15 for a Liberty League match up against host Clarkson University that gets underway at 1 p.m.
