YORK, PA – The No. 4 seed RIT baseball team (33-9) had its historic, record-breaking season come to an end on Friday, as they fell 6-5 in 15 innings to No. 8 seed Lesley University (22-18-1) in an elimination game at the 2017 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional at PeoplesBank Park. The game tied the longest in program history, and was the fourth longest in Division III postseason history.

RIT would fall behind 5-0 in the bottom of the third inning, but fought back, scoring a pair of runs in the fifth inning and one in the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-3. With RIT down to its final strike in the top of the ninth inning, senior captain Will Gorman (Nassau, NY/Columbia) launched a majestic, towering home run over the right field fence, a two-run shot to tie the game at 5-5.
 
RIT would threaten a couple times in extra innings, loading the bases with two outs in the top of the 11th and moving the go-ahead runner to third base with one out in the 12th before failing to score.

Wesley would push the winning run across in the 15th inning, as Vincent Talierico ripped a hard liner up the middle that Navada Waterman (Coudersport, PA/Coudersport) almost made an incredible diving on before the ball fell. Steven DePalma would move Talierico to third with a single through the right side. Ryan Pumphret would lift a fly ball to deep center field that scored Talierico from third to win the game and end RIT's season.

"This kind of game shows the character of both teams and why you play the game of baseball," said RIT head coach Rob Grow. "Both teams were in it to win it, played hard, and it was one of the greatest games I've ever been a part of at RIT."
 
Gorman, playing in his final collegiate game, reached base five times in seven plate appearances, going 3-for-5 with his team record 10th homer of the year and 27th of his RIT career, driving in three runs, while walking twice. Brett Kajganich (North Royalton, OH/Holy Name) and Daniel Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) drove in a run apiece, while Capra and Waterman had a pair of hits each.

Lesley out-hit RIT, 14-12. The teams combined for just one error and 30 strikeouts. RIT left 13 runners on base to six for Lesley.
 
On the mound, Stevie Branche (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz) made the start, going 2 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits, with two strikeouts.

Jameson Moran (Geneseo, NY/Geneseo) would come in with the Tigers down 5-0 in the third inning and deliver one of the most clutch pitching performances in RIT baseball history. The sophomore right hander would throw an incredible 10 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just five hits and a walk, while striking out a career-best 12 hitters in his 128-pitch masterpiece. He did not allow a Lesley batter past second inning in his incredible performance.
 
Despite all of Moran's heroics, he would leave the game in the bottom of the 14th inning after allowing a lead-off double to J.P. Agiorgousis. Brett Bouchard (Fairport, NY/Fairport) would enter, and the first batter, Jacob Cervantes, would sacrifice Agiorgousis to third base. With one out, Grow had Daniel Zeglen (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) move in from his left field position and play between Jason Schulz (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and Capra, giving RIT a five-infielder alignment. The setup would work, as Mike Slaby would hit a grounder right to Waterman, who looked the runner back at third and throw to first for the out. Bouchard would strike out the next batter to get RIT out of the jam.

Bouchard, making his RIT single-season 23rd appearance of the season, would take the loss in the 15th inning, allowing two hits in 1 2/3 innings. He finished the season by walking just three batters in 48 2/3 innings.
 
"That's one of the best performances you're ever going to see in relief," said Grow of Moran. "I don't think you can do any better than he did today."
 
Pumphret drove in three runs for Lesley while Talierico had two hits, and four different Lynx added one apiece.
 
Nick Iadevaio made the start for Lesley, and went five innings, allowing three runs on five hits, with eight strikeouts and five walks. Nick DeGrenier and Daniel O'Donnell Jr. came on in relief, before Jeff Heinz pitched for the final five innings, picking up the win.
 
After no-hit first innings from both pitchers, Lesley got on the board first in the second. Slaby knocked a single to center field, scoring Agiorgousis from second base on the play.
 
The Lynx scored four more runs in the third inning, making it 5-0 after three full innings of play. Pumphret drove in two runs on a double down the right field line, before Matthew Warner hit an RBI single to left center. Warner then came around and scored with two outs on a single by Cervantes.
 
The Tigers would rally. After Benjamin Terzini (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) was walked and Waterman broke up Iadevaio's no-hitter with a single through the right side, Gorman knocked home Terzini with a single to right. The next batter, Kajganich, hit a check swing infield single, scoring Waterman on the play. RIT cut the deficit to 5-2.
 
In the top of the sixth, the Tigers added another run on an RBI ground out by Capra, after a balk moved Mike Myers (Hamlin, NY/Brockport), who doubled to lead off the inning, to third.

In the top of the ninth, RIT looked to threaten right away, as Capra singled and moved to third on a single by Schulz that nearly cleared the left field fence and tied the game. Waterman would follow by hitting a hard liner to second, which turned into a double play after Schulz was thrown out trying to get back to the base. That would set up Gorman's heroics.

Despite the loss, RIT shattered numerous school records in this historic season, while winning its first Liberty League Championship and making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. RIT set program records for most wins (33), highest winning percentage (.785), highest fielding percentage (.973), runs scored (317), hits (432), doubles (105), home runs (23), runs batted in (287), total bases (642), slugging percentage (.452), and walks (191). The pitching staff re-wrote the school record book with the most strikeouts (319), shutouts (4), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.22), and lowest WHIP (1.19)
 
 "I'm glad everyone learned from all the hard work that we put into this year," said Gorman. "I hope that they can continue to work even harder and be even more successful in the years to come."
 
Gorman finished his career as the program record holder in home runs (27) and RBIs (155). He also set new program single-season records during the 2017 season with 50 runs scored, 10 home runs, 107 total bases, and 34 walks. Kajganich broke the single season doubles record, with 16.
 
RIT opened NCAA play by falling to No. 5 Alvernia College, 8-4 on Thursday. Gorman homered and scored three times in the loss. In the two NCAA Tournament games, Gorman went 6-for-9 with a pair of homers, four runs scored, and four RBIs, while walking three times.

Today marked the first ever meeting between the two schools. Lesley earned a berth in the tournament after winning the New England Collegiate Conference Championship. Lesley will face either Wheaton College or Shenandoah University in another elimination game Saturday at 1:15 p.m.

"To change from last year to this year it took a lot of leadership," said Moran. "We really learned a lot about ourselves and what it takes to be a championship team, so hopefully we can continue to carry that through in the coming years."