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Alden ChallengeTROY, N.Y. - Senior
Jared Jensen threw a complete game and went 3 for 3 at the plate, including a home run, with a run and two RBI, and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team defeated Bard College, 5-3, in a Liberty League contest at Robison Field. The Engineers, who won game two, 13-1, improve to 12-8 overall and 11-3 in the league, while the Raptors are now 3-18 and 1-13.
Jensen (Kingston, NY / Kingston) threw 94 pitches over seven innings, allowing eight hits and no walks with six strikeouts. He gave up two runs in the first inning and one in the third before blanking Bard the rest of the way. The righthander evened his record at 2-2. From the second spot in the order from the plate, he was a triple shy of the cycle while scoring once and knocking in two. He singled home RPI's first run in the third inning and then hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season to right field to give the Engineers a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning.
Bard jumped out in front, 2-0, after the first inning thanks to a two-run home run to right field by junior Alec Montecalvo (Naples, FL / St. John Neumann). The Raptors added another run in the second when freshman Nick Kifyak (Flanders, NJ / Mendham) tripled to center and scored on a Steve Marotta (Harrington Park, NJ / Old Tappan) ground out.
Jensen's single in the third inning scored senior
Tyler Listing (West Sand Lake, NY / Averill Park) before
Thomas Desmond (Alamo, CA / De LaSalle) pulled RPI to within a run when he scored on a throwing error in the fourth inning.
Shane Matthews (Ballston Spa, NY / Saratoga Catholic) then plated
Nick Annunziata (Neshanic Station, NJ / St. Joseph H.S.) with a double to center in the same frame to tie the score at 3-3 after four innings. Jensen's home run broke the deadlock and the Engineers added a run in the sixth when Matthews singled in
Sam Lawrence (Chicago, IL / U of C High School).
Matthews finished 2 for 3 with two runs batted in, while Desmond, Listing and Lawrence each had a hit and a run.
Adam Carafotes (Sutton, MA / Lawrence Academy) was 2 for 3 with a run and Montecalvo was 2 for 3 with a run and two RBI for Bard. Zach Hayes (Chicago, IL / Whitney Young) pitched 5.2 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, eight hits with two strikeouts. He did not walk a batter. He is now 1-3 on the year.
Jensen continued his hot-hitting in game two, going 3 for 5 with a run scored, as the Engineers won 13-1.
On the hill, junior
Greg Echeverria ( Longmeadow, MA / Longmeadow ) went 8.0 innings, allowing an unearned run on nine hits. He struck out eight and walked one.
RPI got three runs in the first on just one hit. Three hit batters and a Bard error aided the rally. After the Raptors got one run back in the top of the second, the Engineers answered with one of their own in the bottom half.
A five-run sixth blew the game open for the home side, as RPI batted around in the frame. Desmond plated two with a bases-loaded single to cap the scoring in the inning.
The Engineers then added four more in the eighth to make it 13-1. Desmond and Annunziata each drove in runs with base hits.
Both teams are back in action tomorrow afternoon in Annandale-on-Hudson for a twin bill (12pm).