PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester baseball team and Skidmore College split a pair of close matchups in the Liberty League Crossover Series, forcing the two teams to set up a winner-take-all game three matchup tomorrow.
 
Rochester (18-17, 11-6 Liberty League) opened the day with an 8-7 win in game one on a seventh inning Luke Gregory RBI single to right.
 
Skidmore (19-16, 9-7 Liberty League) followed that up by scoring two runs in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie, winning the night cap by a 5-3 score.
 
Sunday's final game, with first pitch being slated for noon, will decide which of the teams will qualify for next weeks Liberty League Tournament.
 
Game 1: Rochester 8, Skidmore 7
The Yellowjackets started out the opening game quick, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jackson Reed led off the game with a single back to the pitcher and on Colby Cruser's ensuing grounder, the Thoroughbreds misplayed the ball at second base, allowing both runners to remain on base.
 
Alec Ellison provided one of two sacrifice bunts in the game to move the runners up ahead of Dylan Stezzi's sacrifice fly to score reed. Josh Leadem followed that up with a single to center, plating Cruser.
 
UR starter Nolan Sparks looked terrific through the opening three innings, providing four of his six strikeouts in that span. The senior right hander then kickstarted a double-play to ended the third inning with UR still on top by two.
 
In the Rochester half of the third, Ellison lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score Reed who reached on an error, boosting the 'Jackets lead to 3-0.
 
Skidmore smacked Sparks around in the fifth and benefitted from a fielding miscue to score five runs, all of which were unearned to take the lead. Ewen Donald led off with a single ahead of Sam Kornet's grounder getting mishandled in the infield.
 

Sparks nearly escaped the jam getting back-to-back groundouts to reach two outs, one of which plated Skidmore's opening run. But a walk was followed up by a Trey Bourque 3-run home run to put the Thoroughbreds on top. The next four batters reached as well, with Donald's second hit of the inning driving in another run before Leadem gunned down a potential sixth run of the inning at home plate.
 
The Yellowjackets were quick to fight back though, using two big hits in the next half inning to regain the lead. Reed and Cruser led off with two singles before Ellison's bunt moved them both into scoring position. Dylan Stezzi ripped a ground-rule double to center field to make the score 5-5.
 
Three pitches later, Leadem blasted a home run to left field, moving UR in front by a pair. The home run was Leadem's first of the season and 11th of the Yellowjacket career.
 
Skidmore pulled back even in the top of the sixth with two more unearned runs on a wild pickoff attempt from reliever Magnus Sivertson.
 
The score remained tied until the bottom of the seventh. Ellison clubbed a double to lead off the inning for Rochester. Stezzi sacrificed him to third and after a ground out, Gregory provided a clutch 2-out single to bring in the go-ahead run.
 
Rochester's Matt Casiero tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning to shutdown the Skidmore offense before turning the ball over to outfielder turned closer Leadem in the ninth.
 
In the ninth, Leadem got a leadoff fly out to start the inning but had to work around a fielding error and walk, eventually shutting the door for the save with a strikeout to strand both runners on base.
 
Sparks finished with the game with five innings pitched and five runs allowed, none of which were earned. He walked two and struck out six. The six strikeouts moved him into a tie for first place on Rochester's all-time career list in that category.
 
Sivertson, Casiero and Leadem combined to allow just three hits the rest of the way, with Casiero earning the victory.
 
At the plate, Reed finished 2-for-5 with three runs. Cruser went 2-for-5 with two runs while Leadem and Stezzi each provided three RBI.
 
Game 2: Skidmore 5, Rochester 3
In game two it was the Thoroughbreds who broke through early, nearly batting around to score three runs in the first inning against Rochester starter Mark Aaronson.
 
The first five batters all reached safely for Skidmore, with Owen Roy providing a 2-run single and Donald knocking a single up the middle for another RBI.
 
After the rocky start, Aaronson settled in over the next few innings, eventually leaving with the game tied after UR score three runs in the fifth. The junior right hander finished with 5 innings pitched, allowing 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.
 
Rochester's runs in the fifth came off a Sammy Besztery single to right, scoring Luke Gregory who tripled to center and from Cruser who drove in Besztery and Quincy Jaksch.
 
UR nearly was able to take the lead in the seventh after Besztery reached with a one-out triple to left. Skidmore reliver Sam Dalsimer was able to evade any runs coming across though, getting a strikeout and pop up to keep the score tied at 3-3.
 
Skidmore used its escape to grab some momentum which led to the final two runs of the game in the eighth.
 
After a strikeout to start the inning, Donald walked and Shaw Pedemonti double to left putting runners and second and third. Kornet laced a single to left on the next pitch to give the Thoroughbreds the lead and the next batter Eddie Galvao followed suit with a single to right, scoring Pedemonti.
 
The Thoroughbreds turned to Chrisitan Giresi for the final six outs and the right-hander was perfect in the eighth and ninth, setting down Rochester in order twice to seal the win.
 
Rochester's leading hitters in game two were Cruser and Besztery who each provided two hits. Cruser drove in two runs, while Besztery finished with a triple and run scored.