Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Senior Adam Lasek’s (Waterford, NY/Waterford) unearned run on a throwing error in the 12th inning gave the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team a 5-4 win over Mass. College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) at Robison Field. The homestanding Red Hawks, the 16th-ranked team in the nation, improves to 14-6. The Trailblazers fall to 7-12-1.

Lasek, a shortstop, led off the final inning with a single and was sacrificed to second base by Bob Murphy (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville). RPI’s next batter, Dan Feenan (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa), grounded a ball to the shortstop, whose throw was in the dirt and skipped away from the first baseman, allowing Lasek to score standing up.

MCLA forced extra innings when junior Anthony Bruno (Queens, NY/Holy Cross) scored on a two-out error in the ninth inning.

Rensselaer got two runs through the first two innings without the benefit of a hit. Sophomore Sean Wilkes (Troy, NY/Catholic Central), who was hit by a pitch, scored on a balk in the first inning and Dan Valentine (Goshen, CT/Avon Old Farms) walked to lead off the second and scored on an error. The Red Hawks added another run in the third inning on a sac fly by Valentine and a fourth in the fourth on an RBI single by Wilkes.

The Trailblazers held a 1-0 lead after the top of the first inning after putting together three singles. They scored another in the third inning to tie the game, 2-2. Sophomore centerfielder Patrick Negrini (West Stockbridge, MA/Monument) singled and scored in both frames. MCLA pulled to within one run, 4-3, in the bottom of the sixth inning on an RBI groundout by Anthony Russo (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro).

Wilkes, Valentine and Lasek all collected two hits apiece for the Red Hawks, who saw junior Tim Klein (Westwood, NJ/St. Joseph Regional) earn the win.

Junior Jim Pesente (Whitman, MA/Whitman-Hanson) suffered the loss for the Trailblazers, who got three hits and two runs from Negrini.

Rensselaer is scheduled to be back in action on Saturday at Union College for a Liberty League doubleheader at Central Park (12pm). MCLA also plays again on Saturday when it travels to MASCAC foe Worcester St. for a doubleheader (1pm).