Box Score
TROY, N.Y. – Junior Troy Lassial (Ogdensburg, NY/Ogdensburg) gave up only one unearned run and St. Lawrence University scored four runs in the fifth inning to break a 1-1 tie on its way to defeating Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 6-2, in an elimination game of the four-team, double elimination Liberty League Tournament at Robison Field.
St. Lawrence, the second seed, improves to 21-13 and advances to meet Skidmore College in Sunday’s championship round beginning at 11am. The Saints, who lost to the Thoroughbreds, 6-3, on Saturday, must defeat Skidmore twice to claim the title and the automatic berth into next week’s NCAA Tournament. Skidmore needs one win for the league championship. Rensselaer, the top seed, falls to 29-10.
Lassial improved to 5-2 by holding the Red Hawks, the 17th-ranked team in the nation, to just an unearned run on eight hits in 7.2 innings. He struck out two without walking anyone. Freshman Ryan Duff (Concord, MA/Cushing A4-cademy) got the final two outs for the save.
The Saints’ four runs in the fifth inning all came with two outs. A bases loaded single by senior Andrew Engebretson (Long Lake, MN/Orono), the Liberty League Player of the Year, scored two runs before two others scored on a single by graduate student Joe Regonlinski (Wayland, MA/Wayland) that went under the outfielders’ glove.
St. Lawrence took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Regonlinski drove home Matt Yaworsky (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) with a single in the first inning.
The Red Hawks tied the game in the third inning when Dan Valentine (Goshen, CT/Avon Old Farms) singled, moved to third on an error and scored on a fielders’ choice by Jason Pollard (Hudson, NY/Hudson). A single by Stevan Slusher (Pedricktown, NJ/Penns Grove) in the ninth inning drove in RPI’s second run.
Regonlinski finished with two hits and two RBI in four at bats, while Engebretson was 1 for 3 with a run and two runs batted in.
Valentine and sophomore Jim Devine (Castleton, NY/East Greenbush) both had two hits for the Red Hawks. Valentine also scored a run. Rensselaer starter Luke Calzone (Bethel, CT/Bethel) allowed six runs, four earned, on five hits in 6.2 innings. He walked two and struck out six in falling to 4-3.
