ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT baseball team (12-11, 8-7 Liberty League) earned a doubleheader split against Liberty League rival Clarkson University (11-13, 6-8 Liberty League) from Towers Field on the campus of the University of Rochester on Tuesday afternoon. Clarkson won game one, 14-4, while RIT rebounded to take game two, 5-2.
Clarkson's bat were hot from the start in game one, as they slugged five hits in the first inning en route to 18 in the seven-inning contest. RIT trailed 5-0 until busting out with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the Golden Knights lead to 5-4. The Tigers had a golden chance to take the lead in the inning, with four runs in and runners on second and third with one out, but could not get the runs across.
The Golden Knights would put the game away with eight runs in the top of the seventh inning.
All nine Clarkson starters had at least one hit. Six different players had at least two hits. Will Coleman was 3-for-5 with a triple and three runs scored. Ben Knauf was 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Nate Burns went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Mark Connor earned the win on the mound, his first of the season, scattering five hits, while allowing four runs (three earned) in five innings. Coleman pitched the final two innings for his first save of the season.
Dalton Murray (Savannah, NY/Clyde-Savannah) and
Dom Scialabba (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) hit home runs in the bottom of the fifth inning for the Tigers. Both were long, towering shots over the left field wall.
In game two, RIT got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Scialabba tripled and scored on a single by
Daniel Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem).
Daniel Zeglen (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) hit a long two run home run to center field, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead. RIT would add two more runs in the fourth inning, as
Joey Mylott (Aurora, OH/Western Reserve Academy) singled in
Kyle Terzini (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and
Navada Waterman (Coudersport, PA/Coudersport) scored on a wild pitch.
Mylott, Zeglen and
Kyle Terzini (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) had two hits apiece, as RIT out-hit Clarkson, 10-5 in game two.
Stevie Branche (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz) pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three batters.
Brian Reed (Rochester, NY/Penfield) was the pitcher of record, earning his fourth win of the season, allowing four hits and two runs over 3 1/3 innings. He cruised through three scoreless innings before running into trouble in the sixth inning.
Brett Bouchard (Fairport, NY/Fairport) came on to pick up his second save of the season, retiring all five batters he faced over 1 2/3 innings.
RIT is back in action with four scheduled non-conference contests this weekend. The Tigers begin the weekend with a single, nine-inning contest at Elmira that gets underway at 5 p.m.
