TROY, NY – The RIT baseball team (23-13) jumped out to a big lead and hung on to defeat Clarkson (24-8) by a score of 9-5 on a hot, sunny, Friday afternoon in the Liberty League Tournament at Robison Field on the campus of Renssealer. RIT advances to the 2015 Liberty League Championship on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
RIT will face Rensselaer in tomorrow's Liberty League Championship game. If necessary game seven will take place 30 minutes after the conclusion on game five. RIT is the lone undefeated team in the tournament. The Tigers need one win to claim its first Liberty League title and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Engineers will have to win two games tomorrow.
Sophomore
Will Gorman (Nassau, NY/Columbia) drove in his 41st run of the season, tying the all-time school record for RBIs in a single season set by Jeremy Tosh in 2008. Gorman was 2-for-4 on the day with one walk, while scoring one run.
Skip Flanagan (Framingham, MA/Bishop Feehan) started the Tigers out with a double to left center with two outs in the first inning.
CJ Bolorin (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) singled to right and advanced Flanagan to third. Bolorin stole second, drawing a throw that went into center field, scoring Flanagan to put the Tigers on the board.
Brett Kajganich (North Royalton, OH/Holy Name) was 4-for-6, scoring twice and driving in three runs. In the top of the eighth, Kajganich blasted a two-run homer over the right field fence to advance the Tigers lead 6-1. It was Kajganich's first homer of the season and second of his career.
Mike Myers (Hamlin, NY/Brockport) was 3-for-5 on the day with two RBIs and scoring two runs, while Flanagan and
Zach Zabel (Clarence, NY/Clarence) were also 3-for-5.
The Golden Knights rallied in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs and cutting the Tigers lead to two. The Golden Knights answered however, with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Clarkson's first three batters reached base to load the bases without an out. After RIT starter
Ethan Humbert (Rose, NY/North Rose-Wolcott) left the game, Chris Miller doubled down the right field line to score senior Matt Jenack and Greg Jasek. Sophomore Dom Pirro followed Miller with a single of his own to bring home Will Coleman and make the score 6-4.
RIT would put the game away in the ninth with three runs.
On the mound,
Ethan Humbert (Rose, NY/North Rose-Wolcott) was solid, allowing eight hits and three earned runs for his fifth win of the season. He was able to coerce three double play balls in the first six innings.
Brandon Cohall (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) would come on in relief for the second straight day and finish out the Golden Knights for his second save of the season. He allowed two hits and one run, while striking out two batters.
Bolorin's two stolen bases today give him 22 on the season, one shy of the school record set by Matt George in 2008 and Justin Smith in 2009.
This weekend marked RIT's first postseason appearance since joining the Liberty League in 2012 and first overall since 2008. Yesterday, the Tigers won their opening round game, 10-8 over top-seed Rensselaer. RIT led 8-2 before Rensselaer rallied to tie the game at 8-8. The Tigers scored twice in the ninth inning for the win. Gorman was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a stolen base, while Hogan was 4-for-5.
The Tigers have 73 hits over the last five games. RIT out-hit Clarkson, 17-12 today. RIT now has 382 hits this season, second most in one season in program history.
RIT won its 23rd game of the season, third most in one year in program history. RIT won 24 games in 2006 and 2007. The Tigers have scored 275 runs this season, breaking the school mark of 267, set in 2006. RIT did that in 42 games. They have played 36 games in 2015.
The Tigers are now 2-1 this season against the Clarkson. On April 15, the two teams split a doubleheader at Clarkson. Grow won his 400th career game at RIT in the victory at Clarkson on April 15. RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 50-36-1.
