ROCHESTER, NY – The baseball team (14-17, 8-10 Liberty League) split a pair of games against Liberty League foe University of Rochester (18-15, 11-7 Liberty League) from sun drenched Towers Field on Saturday afternoon. RIT took game one, 5-0, while Rochester rallied late to win game two, 6-5.
In game one, sophomore hurler
Brian Reed (Rochester, NY/Penfield) earned his first collegiate shutout for RIT, scattering just four hits and one walk while striking out six batters for his first win of the season. He induced five fly outs and 10 ground outs in his 98-pitch masterpiece. He outdueled Rochester's Evan Janifer, who allowed eight hits and five runs over five innings of work.
Will Gorman (Nassau, NY/Columbia) was the offensive star for the Tigers in the opener, going 3-for-3 with four runs batted in, including a bases-clearing double to left field in the fifth inning that gave RIT a 5-0 lead.
RIT opened the scoring in the opening inning. With runners on first and third and one out,
Taylor Hogan (Rochester, NY/Brighton) reached on a fielder's choice, scoring
Jason Schulz (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) with the all important first run.
In the third inning,
Patrick Mylott (Aurora, OH/Western Reserve Academy) led off with a single up the middle and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Zach Zabel (Clarence, NY/Clarence). Gorman would drive him in with a single to right to make it 2-0.
RIT would put the game away in the fifth inning on Gorman's big double.
Daniel Zeglen (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) led off with a double but was erased on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Mylott reached on an error and Zabel hit an infield single to load the bases for Gorman, who did the rest, ripping an opposite field double to score all three runs.
In game two, RIT started strong, getting an unearned run on a ground out by Gorman and two more in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Zeglen and a Rochester error to make it 3-0. After Rochester scratched a run across in the fifth inning, Schulz would hit a two-run single in the top of the seventh to give RIT a 5-1 lead.
Unfortunately for RIT, Rochester would come right back in the bottom of the seventh inning with four runs on four hits and a costly error that would tie the game at 5-5. The Yellowjackets nearly took the lead on Owen Gabbey's single, but
Dom Scialabba (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) fired a great throw to the plate to cut down a runner and end the inning.
The Yellowjackets would take the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Grant Kilmer led off the frame with a solo home run on a 1-0 pitch off of
Jameson Moran (Geneseo, NY/Geneseo).
Rochester would out-hit RIT 15-8 in game two. Steve Eychner led the Yellowjackets with three hits, while Pete Carrier was 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. Luke Meyerson would pick up the win in relief, firing 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Dan Warren got the start, allowing eight hits and five runs, three earned in 6 2/3 innings.
Zabel was 2-for-2 with a walk and stolen base for the Tigers, while Schulz drove in two runs.
Rory Little (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) went seven innings in the start, allowing 12 hits and five runs (two earned), while striking out four batters. Moran took the loss, while
Brett Bouchard (Fairport, NY/Fairport) pitched 2/3 inning of scoreless relief.
RIT and Rochester conclude their regular season series on Sunday from Tiger Stadium at RIT, with the opening pitch scheduled to be at noon. It will also be a Tiger Den Event.
