Rochester rallied for a game one victory before RIT took advantage of five UR errors to take the nitecap as the Yellowjackets and Tigers split a Liberty League doubleheader at Towers Field. Rochester won the opener, 3-2. RIT held on for a 4-3 win in the second game.
To get the game one victory, Rochester had to throw out RIT runners at home in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings respectively. Either one would have given RIT the win.
In the bottom of the seventh with the score tied at 2-2, Skip Flanagan walked. Walt Roman was hit by a pitch, advancing Flanagan to second. Brett Kajganich lined out to third. In an attempt to double up the runners, the ball was thrown away. Flanagan moved to third and Roman took second. Taylor Hogan grounded to
Brendan Garry at first base. He threw home where Flanagan was tagged out. A walk and flyout ended the inning.
Zach Zabel doubled to left to lead off the eighth for RIT. After a walk and a sacrifice, Flanagan bounced to Garry at first. He threw home and
Tyler DeClerck tagged out Zabel for the second out. Roman grounded to third to end the inning.
Rochester broke through in the ninth against Tyler Leichtenberger. With one down, Garry singled through the right side. DeClerck was hit by a pitch, moving him to second.
Steve Eychner ran for Garry.
Ethan Sander doubled to left on an 0-2 pitch scoring Eychner.
Josh Ludwig was walked intentionally to load the bases. Leichtenberger wriggled out of it with a strikeout and bounceout. In the ninth,
Evan Janifer set down the Tigers in order on two infield groundouts around a liner to right.
Garry had a leadoff double to start the second inning. A groundout by
Nolan Schultz moved him to third and he scored when Sander had a single to right. After stealing second, Sander scored off of a single up the middle by Ludwig.
RIT was quick to respond. A leadoff walk by Hogan was followed by a groundout that moved him up a base. Chris Barr singled to center to bring home the run. In the RIT thrid,C.J. Bolorin tripled and scored two batters later on Roman's single.
Rochester kept the Tigers off the board further with some key defensive plays. In the third, Flanagan was at second and Roman at first with no outs when Kajganich lined out to right.
Lance Hamilton fired the ball in and doubled Flanagan off second. In the fourth, Matt Holtby doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch. With Zabel at bat and one out, Holtby was picked off third by Schultz.
Dan Warren was the starter pitching 5.1 innings, giving up 2 runs, 8 hits, and 2 strikeouts.
Ethan McGowan pitched 2.1 innings, gave up 1 hit and 1 strikeout. For RIT, Conor Herlihy pitched 5 innings, gave up 2 runs, 4 hits, and 1 strikeout. Brian Sheridan pitched .2 innings and gave up a walk. Leichtenberger pitched 3.1 innings, gave up 1 run, 4 hits, and 2 strikeouts.
In game two, RIT took advantage of five Rochester errors to score three unearned runs. In the bottom of the second with two down.
Brandon Heinrich booted a grounder. Zabel walked and Canestro singled to load the bases. Bolorin bounced back to the mound but
Rob Mabee's throw to first was dropped. Barr scored and Zabel came home on a bases-loaded walk. The Tigers added a run in the fourth. Canestro tripled to right center and scored on Bolorin's sacrifice fly.
Rochester scored an unearned run int he top of the fifth. DeClerck walked,
Brian Munoz was hit by a pitch, and Heinrich bunted the runners over.
Matt Todd's ground ball to short was booted allowing DeClerck to score. RIT starter Cory Little pitched out of it, getting Sander on a soft liner to second and Schultz on a forceout.
The Yellowjackets gave the run back in the bottom o the fifth. Holtby reached on an error and was bunted to second by Barr. He circled the bag widely and the Yellowjackets tried to pick him off, but the throw sailed into left field and Holtby came all the way around for a 4-1 lead.
Rochester made it interesting in the top of the seventh. Munoz walked. Sheridan relieved. Munoz took second on a passed ball before Heinrich walked. Another passed ball moved the runners to second and third. Todd lined out. That brought on Leichtenberger for his second relief appearance of the day. Sander singled into the hole between second and third. Munoz scored and Heinrich took third. Sander stole second. Schultz flied out to center field with the sac fly bringing home Heinrich. Pinch-hitter Warren singled to second base, getting Sander to third.
Jake Meyerson ran for Warren. Hamilton chopped the ball to short where Hogan's throw just beat him to end the game.
Little earned the win, going six-plus innings. He allowed five hits, two unearned runs, walked two, and struck out three. Sheridan pitched a third of an inning and gave up the Heinrich run in the seventh. Leichtenberger pitched two-thirds of an inning. He allowed two hits for his third save.
Mabee got the loss. In five innings, he allowed five hits, four runs (one earned), walked three, and struck out three.
Grant Petito pitched one inning of relief. He gave up one hit.
Rochester is 10-12 overall, 6-6 in the Liberty League. RIT is 10-5 overall, 5-2 in the Liberty League.
