Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Sophomore pinch hitter Stevan Slusher (Pedricktown, NJ/Penns Grove) sparked the Red Hawks offense in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-run double and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team went on to defeat Skidmore, 7-1, in game two of the doubleheader at Robison Field.

Rensselaer, which won the first game, 7-4, is now 25-8 overall and is tied for first in the Liberty League standings with a 14-4 record. The Red Hawks have won ten straight games and 20 of their last 22. Skidmore falls to 14-17 and 5-11 in the league.

In game two, sophomore Matt Muscatiello (Kinderhook, NY/Ichabod Crane) got the Red Hawks on the board, delivering an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning. Skidmore responded in the top of the third when junior Mike Salamone (Albany, NY/Newton South (MA) blasted an RBI double to tie the game 1-1.

It became a pitcher’s dual over the next four innings as Rensselaer starter freshman Joe Zongol (Flower Mound, TX/Southington) and Thoroughbreds hurler Ed Reilly (Tenafly, NJ/Tenafly) shut down the offense on both sides. The game seemed destined for extra innings until the Red Hawks bats came alive in the bottom of the eighth, sparked by Slusher’s double off Skidmore reliever James Melillo (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island). Freshman Sean Wilkes (Troy, NY/Catholic Central) added a two-run double of his own as the Red Hawks put up six runs on four hits en route to the 7-1 victory.

Skidmore was led offensively by Salamone, who went 2 for 5 with a run batted in. Melillo picked up the loss for the Thoroughbreds, while starter Reilly went seven innings allowing nine hits and one earned run with four walks and two strikeouts.

For Rensselaer, senior Joe Ihnatolya (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) went 2 for 4 with one run and an RBI. Zongol earned the win on the mound to improve to 5-1 for RPI.

In the opener, the Red Hawks jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the third inning and held on. Starter Tim Klein (Westwood, NJ/St. Joseph’s Regional) earned the win with 5.2 innings of work and freshman Andrew Novick (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay) got the save by pitching the final 1.1 innings.

Skidmore, which scored three runs sixth inning, saw senior starter Nate Coleman (Lenox, MA/Lenox) go 3.0 innings. He allowed three earned runs and walked three in the loss.

Rensselaer and Skidmore play another doubleheader on Sunday at noon in Saratoga Springs.