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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Junior righthander Mike Cieszko pitched a complete game three-hitter with six strikeouts to lead the Rensselaer baseball team to a 3-0 victory over Skidmore in the first game of a Liberty League doubleheader at Castle Diamond.  With the victory RPI improves to 22-14 overall and 14-9 in the league, keeping alive its efforts of qualifying for the Liberty League Tournament.  The Thoroughbreds fall to 25-12 and 14-7.

Cieszko (Stevenson Ranch, CA / William S. Hart) allowed hits - all singles - in just two innings on his way to improving to 5-2.  He walked two batters in the 7.0 inning affair.  Skidmore's Derek Stork (Penn Yan, NY / Penn Yan Academy) threw a complete game of his own, allowing three earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts.  He walked five.

RPI broke out on top with two runs in the second inning when senior Tom Jebb (Ticonderoga, NY / Ticonderoga) singled to score both Andrew Krushelnyski (Bloomfield Hills, MI / Brother Rice) and Jonny Rio (Maplewood, NJ / Columbia).  The Engineers scored again in the seventh inning on an RBI single from Camden Mamigonian (Dover, NH / Dover).

Jebb finished with two hits and two RBI for Rensselaer.  Three different players had singles for the Thoroughbreds.

In game two, Brian Lowry hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to give Skidmore a 4-3 win.

RPI took a quick 2-0 lead, opening the game with consecutive singles by Kyle Lavigne, Jonny Rio, and Patrick Reardon. Camden Mamigonian then drove in Lavigne and Rio with a double. Thoroughbred starter Trevor Brucato settled down, retiring the next three batters to get out of the inning.

Skidmore got one back in the bottom of the first when Anthony Ferri doubled and later scored on a two-out single by Rob Rubenstein.

RPI went up 3-1 in the fifth when Reardon reached on two-out walk and scored on Mamigonian's second double of the game.

Skidmore cut it to 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Jake Mendell opened the inning by beating out a slow grounder toward third that RPI pitcher Andrew Mondo fielded and then forced a late throw wide, allowing Mendell to advance to second. Mendell moved to third on a Lowry single and then scored on an infield out by Zack Rudman.

The Thoroughbreds tied it 3-3 in the seventh, when Mendell walked and later scored on a Rudman single.

The Engineers had runners on first and third with one out in the top of the ninth, but Skidmore third baseman Adam Cornachione made a diving catch on a Reardon line dive and then doubled-up the runner on first to end the threat.

With one out in the ninth, Lowry hit the first pitch down the left field line for his fourth home run of the season.

Jordan Keysor (1-1) got the win with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief. Mendell, Ferri, Lowry, and Matt Pisani all had two hits for Skidmore.

John Dreimiller (2-3) took the loss in relief of Andrew Mondo. Mamigonian was 3-4 with three RBI an Kevin Prosicki was 2-3.

The teams close out the regular season at RPI on Sunday with a 12 p.m. doubleheader. The games can be heard live on 91.5 FM, WRPI.