Game 1 Box / Game 2 Box

By margins of 11-2 and 5-3, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team took two games from Union in a Liberty League doubleheader on Friday. With the pair of victories, the Engineers improve to 16-9 overall (9-3 Liberty), while the Dutchmen fall to 8-14 (4-10 Liberty).

Union got the scoring started in the top of the first, when an error, a single and a walk loaded the bases. A hit batsman allowed Dylan Katz-Wicks (Concord, MA/Concord-Carlisle) to score for a 1-0 Dutchman lead.

RPI retaliated with four runs in its own half of the frame. Senior Billy Nikolski (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) got things started with a single to centerfield, before stealing second and coming home on an RBI single from Chuck Erickson (Mansfield, MA/Mansfied). Tanner Boucher (Keene, NH/Keene) gave the home team its first lead of the day with a two run shot over the fence in right center. By the end of the inning, the Engineers had a 4-1 lead.

The Dutchmen got a run back in the third, but the Engineers blew the game open with a four run third that featured a two-out, three-run homer to right field by sophomore Kevin Prosicki (Whippany, NJ/Whippany Park) that gave RPI an 8-2 lead.  

The Engineers' offense continued to pound out hits, adding two runs the fourth inning and one in the fifth for an 11-2 final score.

Mike Cieszko earned the win on the mound, pitching 6.0 innings and allowing just two runs (one earned) on eight hits. He struck out three and walked two. Union's Dane O'Neil (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) picked up the loss, going 3.1 innings and allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits.

A four-run seventh inning gave RPI a large enough margin to win game two. Holding a 1-0 advantage, an infield fly and an error allowed the second Engineers' run to score. Doubles from Kyle LaVigne (Ashland, MA/Ashland) and Jonny Rio (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) drove in three more runs, bringing the score to 5-0.

Union made things interesting late in the game, plating two of their own in the top of the eighth and one in the ninth to draw within two.Vince Esposito (Rockaway, NJ/Xaverian) walked and came around to score on a Tyler Heck (Clinton, NY/Clinton Senior) groundout. Dane Flavin's (Schenectady, NY/Hofstra University) single through the right side allowed Katz-Wicks, who had doubled to get on base, to come home.

Levi Washburn got the victory, allowing three runs on eight hits through 8.0 innings. He struck out four and walked three. Jason Griffith (Lititz, PA/Warwick) came in to pitch the ninth, picking up his first save of the season. Phil Kemp (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) was charged with the loss, going 6.0 innings and surrendering four runs on six hits.

RPI and Union face off again Sunday in Schenectady for the second doubleheader of their home-and-home series (12pm).