Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Game 1 Box / Game 2 Box

CANTON, N.Y. - Junior righthander Mike Cieszko (Stevenson Ranch, CA/William S. Hart) threw 8.0 innings of four-hit ball as the Rensselaer baseball team took game 1 of a doubleheader with St. Lawrence, 1-0, before the Saints (18-17; 11-9 Liberty League) battled to a 7-5 victory in game 2. The Engineers are now 21-14 overall (11-9 Liberty).

RPI won game one in extra innings as Cam Mamigonian (Dover, NH/Dover) singled through the left side to produce the only run of the game, backing a strong pitching performance by Cieszko. Saint rookie Matt DeLuca gave up two runs in the bottom of the first, but settled down and earned his first collegiate victory with relief help from Ryan Duff as the Saints won game two 7-5 after a lengthy delay due to a thunderstorm which struck in the middle of the seventh inning with RPI at bat.

The Saints threatened in the top of the fourth when Carter Franz led off with a double to right and advanced to third on an error on the relay, but Cieszko worked out of the inning without surrendering the run. Andrew Krushelnyski made a leaping snag of Ryan Duff's liner down the first base line for the first out, Matt DeLuca popped up and Cieszko struck out Rob Carman to end the threat.

RPI manufactured the winning run in the bottom of the eighth when Cody Vincent Catskill, NY/John A. Coleman) was hit by a pitch with one out, was sacrificed to second by Jonny Rio (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia), and after an intentional walk to Pat Reardon (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute), Mamigonian rapped a sharp single to left field to end the game.

Cieszko improves to 4-2 on the season with a four-hitter while Considine sustained his first loss of the year after four straight wins, throwing a three hitter with six strikeouts.

Andrew Krushelnyski (Bloomfield Hills, MI/Brother Rice) doubled home two runs with two outs in the bottom of the first inning of game two, but DeLuca shut down the Engineers for the next four innings and the Saints battled back to take a lead.

SLU tied it in the top of the third with two outs as Ethan Braddock and Bryan Brennan had back-to-back singles and Carter Franz walked to load the bases. Duff then lashed a single to left to score two runs and make it a 2-2 game. The Saints tacked on three more in the top of the fifth as Braddock led off with a single, but was erased on a fielder's choice by Brennan. Brennan then stole second and scored on Franz' single to center. Duff reached on a fielder's choice with Franz safe at second on an error and Rob Carman doubled home Franz before Matt D'Auteuil laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to score Duff and give the Saints a 5-2 lead.

The Saints added a sixth run in the top of the sixth as Braddock singled, was advanced ot second on a sacrifice bunt by Brennan and scored on Duff's single to center.

RPI got two back in the bottom of the sixth when Mamigonian singled and Scott Robinson (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) homered as the ball curved around the right field foul pole. Duff came on to relieve DeLuca and got out of the inning without further damage.

The Saints added a run with threatening weather rolling in in the top of the sevnth as Tim Harris doubled to center and scored on Braddock's single, but RPI mounted an immediate threat against Duff in the bottom of the inning. Markus Delello's (Sydney, NY/Sydney) fly ball rode the gusting wind for a double against the fence in left, Rio walked and Reardon singled to load the bases before the skies let loose and the umpires halted the game.

When things resumed with RPI trailing 7-4, the bases loaded and none out, Duff struck out Mamigonian, got Krushelnyski on a pop to short and while Robinson was hit by a pitch to drive in the fifth RPI run, Duff struck out Sujith Murali (Plainsboro, NJ/W. Windsor South) to end the game and secure the split.

The Saints are back in action on Saturday and Sunday against arch-rival Clarkson, while RPI plays its final four games against Skidmore, which is tied for second with Clarkson.