ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT baseball team (14-19, 8-12 Liberty League) dropped a pair of crucial conference games on Sunday against the University of Rochester (20-15, 13-7 Liberty League) at Towers Field on a damp, dreary day. The games were moved to the University of Rochester due to unplayable conditions at Tiger Stadium. The Yellowjackets held on for a 3-2 victory in game one, and came from behind, with a seven-run sixth inning, to win 11-8 in game two.

Rochester took three out of four games against the Tigers in the season series, after a split on Saturday. The Yellowjackets now lead the all-time series between the two schools, 78-50-1. RIT is on the outside looking in for a Liberty League playoff berth, four games out with four games left to play.
 
The Tigers recorded five hits in game one, and 15 hits in game two. Zach Zabel (Clarence, NY/Clarence) had a big day at the plate, going 4-for-8 in the doubleheader, including a 4-for-5 performance in game two. Will Gorman (Nassau, NY/Columbia), Dom Scialabba (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick), and Daniel Zeglen (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) each recorded three hits. Gorman and Scialabba each drove in two runs, while Zeglen added an RBI in game two. Mike Myers (Hamlin, NY/Brockport) hit the lone home run in both games for RIT in the opener.
 
Brandon Cohall (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) started game one, going the distance, striking out seven batters and only walking one. Kyle Povlock (Fairport, NY/Fairport) was the starter in game two, pitching five innings without a walk. Mark Nozzi (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit), Brett Bouchard (Fairport, NY/Fairport), Michael Campbell (Honeoye Falls, NY/McQuaid Jesuit), and Zeglen pitched in relief of Povlock, with Nozzi as the pitcher of record.
 
Steve Eychner, Grant Kilmer, and Dan Warren led the Yellow Jackets with four hits each in the two contests. Kilmer and Warren also drove in three runs each, with Kilmer adding a homer in game two. John Ghyzel picked up the victory in game one, pitching seven innings, and allowing two runs on five hits. Jack Denzer was the winning pitcher in game two, allowing three earned over five innings pitched, with Jake Meyerson getting the five-out save.

Game one was a battle between the team's aces, Ghyzel and Cohall. Early on, the two pitchers traded scoreless innings, with solid defensive play behind the mound. In the top of the third, Zabel made a good jump on a short fly ball into shallow right field, reaching out for the diving grab.
 
In the bottom of the frame, Myers got RIT on the board with his first home run of the season, a 385-foot shot to left centerfield on a 2-1 pitch. That lead was short lived. After Aiden Finch led off the top of the fourth with a single, Cohall was called for a balk, and Finch advanced to second. Two batters later, Dan Warren singled Finch in to tie it up.
 
In the fifth inning, another balk with Fitch at first base and Matt Todd on third base, gave Rochester the lead. Nolan Schultz then singled into left center field to give the Yellowjackets the 3-1 advantage.
 
In the sixth, the Tigers attempted to draw closer. After a single by Jason Schulz (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), a wild pitch moved him to second base. Will Gorman (Nassau, NY/Columbia), the next batter, drove Schulz home with a hard single through the right side, cutting the deficit to 3-2. In the seventh, RIT threatened to tie, with a one-out single by Dom Scialabba (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick), but Ghyzel got Myers to ground out to end the contest.
 
Game two proved to be an offensive showcase for the both teams. The Tigers jumped on Rochester with a three-run first inning. Zabel got on with a leadoff single, then Gorman ripped a triple down the right field line to get the Tigers on the board. Taylor Hogan (Rochester, NY/Brighton) reached on an error at first base, scoring Gorman. Zeglen then singled to left center for the RBI.
 
Rochester got one back in the bottom of the frame, thanks to a throw from right field on a fly out to third base, that went high. In the bottom of the second, Gorman got his second RBI for the Tigers on a two-out single to left field. A leadoff homer by Kilmer into left field in the fifth inning reduced Rochester's deficit to 4-2, but RIT tacked on a run of its own in the bottom of the frame, thanks to a Scialabba double to left field on the first pitch he saw.
 
The sixth inning led with Povlock hitting Schultz on the second pitch of the inning. The next batter, Pete Carrier, hit a deep double into left field that bounced over the wall. Warren then doubled, scoring two, reducing the lead to 5-4. A sacrifice fly by Kilmer tied the contest up at five, and Eychner doubled to right center to give Rochester its first lead of the contest. Two batters later, Schultz capped off the seven-run inning with a two-run double.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Scialabba drove in a run on a groundout. After Rochester added a run in its half of the eighth, the Tigers had their biggest chance to tie the contest. Zabel singled in a run to reduce the deficit to 10-7, and Schulz singled to load the bases with one out. Meyerson came in and struck out Gorman swinging on a 1-2 pitch. On a 3-2 pitch to Hogan, Meyerson forced him to fly out to deep left field along the line, ending the threat.
 
The Tigers will hit the road next, heading to SUNY Oswego for a single game on Tuesday at 4 p.m.