TROY, NY- The University of Rochester baseball team used two big third innings to lift them to a Liberty League doubleheader sweep of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday.
Rochester (7-10, 4-4 Liberty League) scored seven runs in the third of game one and then five more in game two's third inning. Rochester sent 10 batters to the plate in each frame, leading to a 12-0 game one victory and 10-8 game two win. Rensselaer drops to 11-5 overall and 3-3 in the Liberty League on the season.
In game one, UR was able to get on the board first with an unearned run when
Matt Todd scampered home on a wild pitch. It was the first of three runs scored for the sophomore who ended up leading Rochester going 3-4 at the plate with a double, two RBI and a walk.
In the second, 'Jacket starter
Dan Warren got in his biggest jam of the day with two runners on and only one out, but he forced a flyout and freshman left fielder
Will Conroy then gunned down an RPI runner at the plate to escape the inning.
Warren improved to 3-0 on the year and finished the game with his second straight complete game shutout, tossing seven innings while surrendering 2 hits, 2 walks and striking out 5 RPI hitters. The sophomore ended the game in style, striking out all three batters in the bottom of the seventh inning. On the season, Warren has yet to allow an earned run in 24 innings on the mound.
The next half inning is when UR plated seven runs, increasing its lead to 8-0. Todd drew a bases loaded walk which was followed by a
Nolan Schultz 2-RBI single.
Brendan Garry reached on an error to score Todd and Conroy stepped up with a 2-RBI double as the next hitter.
Brian Munoz capped the big inning with a sacrifice fly.
Todd kept his strong game going in the sixth when he cracked an RBI double to score senior
Nate Mulberg. That run was the first of three in the inning to build the lead to 11-0. Garry then drove in
Sam Slutsky with an RBI single and Conroy would follow with a sac fly. In the 7th, Slutsky provided an RBI groundout to plate UR's final run.
The top of the Yellowjacket proved key in the game two victory. UR's Slutsky, Todd, Schultz and Garry (1-4 in lineup), went a combined 14-22 at the plate with two doubles, seven runs and seven RBI. Slutsky was 3-5 with a double and three runs while Todd had another outstanding game going 4-6 with two runs, an RBI and a stolen base. Schultz went 4-5 with a double, three RBI and two runs while Garry was 3-6 at the plate with three RBI.
Tied 1-1 after two, Rochester was able to score five runs in the third inning to break open the nightcap. Schultz provided a 2-RBI double which was followed by a Conroy RBI hit and Mulberg bases loaded walk.
Brandon Heinrich then capped the big inning by scoring a run on a fielders choice.
The Engineers wouldn't go down easy in game two, constantly battling back, getting two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to trim the UR lead to 7-4 after five. UR's
Ethan McGowan escaped further damage in the fifth by getting a groundout and pop out to get out of a 2-on, 1-out jam. He was rewarded with earning the game two win, pitching 1.1 innings of relief.
In the sixth,
Rob Mabee took the mound for UR and escaped another tough situation, getting a pop out to strand two RPI runners.
The seventh inning saw Schultz and Garry provide back-to-back RBI singles, building the lead to 9-4, but RPI would score a run in the bottom half and then three more in the eighth inning to cut the Yellowjacket lead to one at 9-8.
Garry would step up with a huge RBI hit in the top of the ninth inning, giving the 'Jackets a key insurance run heading into the final inning. UR led 10-8.
Sophomore
Evan Janifer pitched around two hits in the ninth to earn his third save of the year for Rochester, stranding the tying runners on base.
The same two teams play again tomorrow at RPI's Robison field, playing a doubleheader starting at 12 pm.
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