Game 1 Box / Game 2 Box
TROY, N.Y. – Junior Michael Park (Scarsdale, NY/Scarsdale) pitched a two-hit complete game shutout to lead the University of Rochester to a 2-0 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in game one of a Liberty League doubleheader at Robison Field. The Yellowjackets won game two by a score of 12-5 to clinch the Liberty League regular season title.
Rochester improves to 27-9 overall with an 18-4 conference mark and will host the 2008 Liberty League Tournament beginning May 9-11. The Red Hawks fall to 27-8 on the season and 15-5 in the league.
Park, who allowed just two hits and no runs in game one, struck out eight batters while walking just three to earn his fourth win of the season (4-1). His counterpart, sophomore John Dreimiller (Ticonderoga, NY/Ticonderoga) also had a fine outing for Rensselaer. He allowed just two runs on four hits, striking out five and walking just one batter through six innings.
Rochester jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning after senior shortstop Ed Kahovec (Victor, NY/Victor) hit a solo home run over the left centerfield wall.
The score remained the same until the bottom of the fifth inning when freshman Matthew Francis (East Amherst, NY/Clarence) sent a scorching line drive up the middle past the reach of Dreimiller for the 2-0 lead. Rensselaer’s best chance to score came in the top of the sixth inning as the ball sailed off the bat of Patrick Reardon (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute), but was caught just above the wall in left-centerfield by Francis to rob the Red Hawks of the home run.
Kahovec finished 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI for Rochester while senior centerfielder Dan Kloc (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon) had a hit and a run scored.
Game two saw the visiting Yellowjackets open up an 8-0 lead after three innings. Rochester put up two runs on four singles in the first inning before recording six runs on three hits in the bottom of the third. Highlighting the inning was a bases-clearing double by sophomore right fielder Andy Cannon (LaGrange Park, IL/Lyons Township).
With two runners on in the top of the fourth, Rensselaer finally got onto the scoreboard after Reardon reached on a fielder’s choice to score the runner from third, but the Yellowjackets added two runs in the latter half of the inning to lead 10-1 through four complete.
Red Hawks centerfielder Sean Wilkes (Troy, NY/Catholic Central) pulled the home team to within seven (10-3) after hitting a two-run double in the top of the fifth and junior designated hitter Dan Feenan (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) posted his own two-run double in the top of the eighth inning to make it 12-5, but it wasn’t enough.
Cannon went five for six at the plate for Rochester with two runs scored and four RBI. Senior designated hitter Jay Jay Vanderstyne (Victor, NY/Victor) had four hits in six attempts while adding two runs and two RBI. On the mound, junior Blair Veenema (Penfield, NY/Fairport) picked up his seventh win of the season, allowing five runs (3 earned) on nine hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 7.2 innings.
For Rensselaer, Feenan went 2 for 4 with a run scored and two runs batted in while sophomore Andy Opperman (Oneida, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) took the loss for the Red Hawks, allowing seven runs (2 earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings.
Rensselaer returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts Williams in its final non-conference game of the season at Robison Field (4:30pm). Rochester hosts area-rival St. John Fisher on Wednesday (4pm).
