Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score
TROY, N.Y. – Sophomore Joe Zongol (Flower Mound, TX/Southington (CT)) pitched a complete nine innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run while striking out nine to lead the Rensselaer baseball team to a split against Clarkson. The doubleheader was the home opener for the Red Hawks and the first Liberty League contests for both teams.
With the split, RPI is now 5-5 overall and 1-1 in the league. The Golden Knights improve to 6-5 on the season with a 1-1 Liberty League mark.
Clarkson picked up the 7-5 victory in game one, aided by a four-run fifth inning. The Golden Knights broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the fifth, capitalizing on several Red Hawks’ errors to take a 4-2 lead into the sixth inning. Rensselaer fought back in the bottom of the frame, tallying three runs, including a 2-run double by senior Joe Ihnatolya (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.
Junior Darrell Carey (Bohemia, NY/St. John the Baptist) picked up the win for Clarkson, allowing four hits while striking out four in five innings pitched. Offensively, the Knights were led by junior Zach Richardson (Parishville, NY/Parishville-Hopkinton), who went 2 for 4 with a single, double and two runs batted in.
For Rensselaer, sophomore Tim Klein (Westwood, NJ/St. Joseph Regional) suffered the loss, surrendering 11 hits and three earned runs through seven innings.
CLK: Darrell Carey (W), Greg Chojecki (2) and Ryan Glavin. RPI: Tim Klein (L) and Jason Pollard.
RPI picked up the 3-2 victory in game two behind solid pitching from Zongol, who held the visitors’ bats to just two hits in the game. The Red Hawks got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning, taking a 2-1 lead on an RBI-double by sophomore catcher Stevan Slusher (Pedricktown, NJ/Penns Grove). Freshman Rick Bittner (Lancaster, NY/St. Mary’s) went six innings on the mound for Clarkson, allowing eight hits and two earned runs in the loss.
RPI: Zongol (W) and Slusher. CLK: Bittner (L/6 Innings), Tunison (2) and Cowin.
