Box Score

AUBURN, N.Y. - The Rensselaer baseball team saw its season come to an end as it fell to St. Lawrence, 12-4, in the NCAA Regionals at Falcon Park.  With the loss, the Red Hawks finish with a school record 34 wins against 11 losses.  The Saints, who scored in five different innings, improve to 24-13.

"It's difficult to have the season end but our team has every reason to hold their head's up high," said RPI head coach Karl Steffen.  "We had an outstanding season and look to build on it next year."

St. Lawrence jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Matt Yaworsky earned an infield single, moved to second on a walk and to third on a fielders’ choice. A sacrifice fly to right field by Andrew Engebretson scored Yaworsky.

Rensselaer came right back to take a 2-1 lead in its next at bat. After Rich Mundy reached on an error, Jim Devine walked and Dan Valentine reached on a bunt single to load the bases. An error on Stevan Slusher’s soft line drive scored Mundy and Matt Muscatiello hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate a second Red Hawks run for a 2-1 lead.

The Saints came right back to tie it in the bottom of the second as Ryan Kimber led off with an infield single and Matt Carrigg’s sacrifice bunt and an error on the throw to get Carrigg moved Kimber to third. Joel Kocan dropped a squeeze bunt to score Kimber.

SLU took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third when Yaworsky was hit by a pitch, stole second, went to third on a fly ball and scored on Engebretson’s fielder’s choice.

St. Lawrence starter Josh White retired the side in the third and fourth, but RPI tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the fifth as Michael Passante dropped down a bunt single, stole second and scored when Jason Pollard hit a clean single past a diving Kimber at second for the first RPI hit of the game to clear the infield.

The Saints again came right back, this time in the bottom of the fifth, as Yaworsky led off with a walk and, after Malisa lined out to center, Jeff DiGeronimo hit a towering home run to left center for a 5-3 lead. RPI starter Joe Zongol then hit Engebretson with a pitch and was pulled after 4.1 innings of work. Freshman Andy Opperman came on in relief and got Joe Regonlinski on a strikeout and Engebretson was called out after stealing second when it was ruled Regonlinski interfered with the catcher after the strikeout.

The Red Hawks threatened in the top of the seventh as Passante and Pollard sandwiched a strikeout by White with singles, but catcher Kocan threw Passante out at third on an attempted double steal and White enticed a ground ball to end the inning.

White hit Mundy with a pitch to start the ninth and the Saints brought Mike Gipson out of the bullpen. Mundy stole second with two outs and scored when Slusher singled to center to cut the Saint lead to 5-4. The Saints escaped the inning when DiGeronimo cut off the throw to the plate and nailed Slusher trying to advance to second.

The Saints broke the game open with a seventh run eighth inning for the final margin.