Box Score
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - A day after scoring 19 runs on 25 hits, the tenth-ranked Rensselaer baseball team was held to five runs on six hits in a 6-5 non-league loss at Mass. College of Liberal Arts. RPI falls to 26-5 and keeps head coach Karl Steffen at 599 career wins. The Trailblazers, who scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for the victory, improve to 13-12.
After RPI scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to gain a 5-4 lead, MCLA tallied two runs on three hits for the win. Sophomore Ken Recore (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park) started the inning with a single to center field. Following a fly out, junior Cory Burtman (Norwood, MA/Norwood) singled to put runners on first and third and a Patrick Negrini (West Stockbridge, MA/Monument) sacrifice fly to center field scored Recore to tie the game. Burtman then stole second base and came around on a single to right field by sophomore Tim Burns (Pittsfield, MA/St. Joseph's).
MCLA jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning but the Red Hawks came right back to tie the game on a single by senior Ken Carroll (Shelton, CT/Fairfield Prep.). The Trailblazers regained the lead with a two-run third inning and they made it 4-1 with a single in the eighth inning.
Rensselaer took its first lead of the game with its four-run ninth inning, highlighted by a two-RBI single by sophomore Andrew Krushelnyski (Bloomfield Hills, MI/Brother Rice). Carroll and Stevan Slusher (Pedricktown, NJ/Penns Grove) also picked up runs batted in for the Red Hawks.
Carroll finished with two hits and two RBI for RPI, which saw four others get single hits. Senior Junior Andrew Novick (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay), the Red Hawks fourth pitcher, took the loss on the mound.
Sophomore James Greeley (Newton, MA/Newton North) earned the win for MCLA, which saw sophomore starter Sean Kelly (Tottenville, NY/Tottenville) allow just two hits and one run in 5.0 innings of work. Offensively, Recore was 3 for 4, including two doubles, with three runs and an RBI while Burtman was 3 for 5 with a run and an RBI.
RPI, which defeated William Paterson, 19-18, on Tuesday, returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Rochester in a Liberty League doubleheader at Robison Field (1pm). MCLA is at Bridgewater St. for a league doubleheader on Saturday at 1pm.
