AUBURNDALE, FL – The University of Rochester baseball team wrapped up its spring break trip in Florida on Friday morning, falling by a 7-4 score to Washington & Jefferson College at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.
Rochester's loss is just the third of the trip, with the Yellowjackets finishing their RussMatt Invitational slate with a 7-3 record overall. The Presidents, who are among others receiving votes in the latest D3baseball.com poll, move to 7-2 with the victory.
The Yellowjackets got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning, capitalizing on a W&J fielding error to score an unearned run.
Carlos Barajas led off by reaching on the error, and after a pair of ground outs which moved him to third, first-year teammate
Jake Bentivenga clubbed a base hit through the right side to put UR up 1-0.
Washington & Jefferson answered right back in the second though, capitalizing on two Yellowjacket errors to grab the lead against URochester starter
Zach Herzog. The Presidents' Teddy Platt had the big hit of the inning, lacing an RBI triple to right center, making the score 3-1.
Rochester clawed back within one in the bottom of the inning though, with
Teddy Monahan singling up the middle to lead off. After a wild pitch moved Monahan to second, back-to-back strikeouts threatened to end the inning.
George Farley IV stepped up with two outs though, singling in Monahan to make it a one-run game.
The Presidents again responded, getting that run right back in the top of the third, with Andrew Miko singling to left, plating Josh Dezenzo.
Afterwards, W&J pitcher Anthony Pass really got into a rhythm, not allowing a hit for the next four innings. Overall, he set down nine of ten batters in innings three through five, striking out the side in the fourth. The right hander ended the game with 12 punchouts over seven innings. He surrendered 5 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) with no walks, moving to 3-0 on the season.
Herzog and reliever
Theo Beckley settled in as well, holding the Presidents off the board through the seventh inning allowing UR to remain within striking distance.
In the seventh, Monahan doubled to right with one out and was singled home by
Ryan Huckabone, trimming the deficit to just one, at 4-3. Pass got three more strikeouts in the inning, limiting the damage.
W&J grabbed some insurance runs in the eighth inning off reliever
Sam Loeb. A double and fielders choice put two runners on with nobody out. Seth Rosenfeld lifted a sacrifice fly to boost the lead back to two before a hit batter and another fielders choice put runners back at the corners with two outs.
A stolen base put both Presidents in scoring position and they both ended up scampering home on an infield single and fumbling of the ball at second base. The three runs stretched the W&J lead out to four, sitting at 7-3.
URochester was able to scrape another run across on a two-out single by
Will Webster, but that's as close as the Yellowjackets would get the rest of the way.
For the game, Monahan was the lone Yellowjacket with a multi-hit effort, finishing 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Barajas scored twice.
On the mound, Herzog was saddled with the loss, going 5 innings while allowing 3 hits, 4 runs and 1 walk while striking out 3. Only one of the four runs he allowed were earned though, as the junior drops to 1-1 on the season.
Beckley pitched a strong two innings in relief for the Yellowjackets, striking out two while allowing just one hit. Loeb got tagged for three runs in his inning while
Jake Del Vecchio pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out one.
The Yellowjackets return to Rochester later on Friday and are set to play next on Monday afternoon against local rival St. John Fisher, with first pitch set for 5 p.m. (weather permitting).
