Box Score
AUBURN, N.Y. – Senior Ken Carroll (Shelton, CT/Fairfield Prep.) hit a three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to break a 6-6 tie, leading the Rensselaer baseball team to a 9-6, come from behind victory over Ohio Wesleyan University in the New York Regional of the NCAA Tournament. With the win the Red Hawk improve to 35-10, and set a school record for wins in a season. They will play top-seeded Cortland tomorrow at 4:30pm. The Battling Bishops fall to 29-18, and will face Eastern Connecticut State tomorrow at 1:15pm in an elimination game.
With one out in the eighth inning of a 6-6 tie game, Patrick Reardon (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute) and Cam Mamigonian (Dover, NH/Dover) walked. Carroll then took two balls for a 2-0 count, before driving the next pitch over the right-center field fence to put Rensselaer in front, 9-6.
The Red Hawks scored the first run of the game in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by freshman Dan Stroud (Central Nyack, NY/Nyack). Ohio Wesleyan then jumped on Rensselaer starter Joe Zongol (Flower Mound, TX/Southington) in the fifth, after the left-hander had allowed just one hit through the first four innings. In the fifth, the Battling Bishops plated six runs on four hits to take a 6-1 lead. The outburst was highlighted by an Eric McComas (Beverly Hills, MI/Birmingham Groves) two-RBI double.
Freshman right-hander Tyler Agneta (Colonie, NY/Colonie) delivered his best outing of the year, replacing Zongol in the fifth inning, after Zongol had allowed six runs on five hits and three walks.
RPI came back with four runs in the sixth inning and one in the seventh to tie the game at six apiece, before Carroll put the Red Hawks ahead for good in the eighth. He finished the game 2 for 5 with the home run, a run scored and three runs batted in. Mamigonian ended up 3 for 4 with a run, while senior Matt Muscatiello (Kinderhook, NY/Ichabod Crane) finished 3 for 5 with a run.
Agneta, who improves to 3-0 in the season, allowed just a hits batsman over 4.1 innings of relief. He struck out six, including the final batter of the game. Zongol also finished with six strikeouts, including his 278th of his career, which sets a new career mark at RPI.
The Battling Bishops were led offensively by Brent Wilkins (Fairview Park, OH/Fairview) who went 1 for 4 with a run scored an a run batted in. McComas finished 1 for 4 with two RBI. Starting pitched Xander Jones (Pomfret, CT/Pomfret School), who took a no decision, surrendered six runs on 11 hits and four walks. He struck out five in 6.1 innings of work. Matthew Struble (Defiance, OH/Edon) shouldered the loss, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out one over 1.2 innings.
