TROY, N.Y. - Junior Sam Lawrence went 4 for 4 and Brendan McNerney went 6.0 strong innings to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team to a doubleheader split with Skidmore College on Sunday at Robison Field. After dropping the opener 7-3, the Engineers bounced back to win the nightcap 7-5 and improve to 9-16 overall (8-4 Liberty League). The Thoroughbreds move to 6-14 on the year (3-9 Liberty League).

McNerney (3-2) allowed just one run on four hits in 6.0 innings, striking out five and walking three. Junior Mike Paleogopoulos worked the final 3.0 innings to earn his first collegiate save, giving up four runs (3 earned) on four hits. He had one strikeout and two walks.

Lawrence had a double, a run and three runs batted in during the Game 2 victory. His sacrifice fly in the first inning got the scoring started. Sophomore Christian Spagnuola then singled home a run in the second for a 2-0 lead. 

Following a pair of scoreless frames, Skidmore found its way on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth, plating a run on a McNerney wild pitch.

RPI answered with a four-run bottom half of the inning, chasing starter Kenny Ajello from the game. Sam Lawrence was the catalyst once again, scoring his twin brother Matt Lawrence with a double to the gap in left center.

Classmate Thomas Desmond followed with a ground ball through the legs of the Skidmore second baseman to bring home Sam from second.

Sophomore J.T. Sawyer then delivered the biggest blow of the inning, plating two run with a single up the middle, making it a 6-1 game.

Skidmore got one run back in the eighth, when Paleogopoulos hit Mike Fogarty in the arm with the bases loaded. An infield single from Sam Lawrence in the bottom half worked the lead back to five runs (7-2).

A ninth inning rally from the Thoroughbreds came up short, as the visitors scored three times and brought the tying run to the plate, but Jack Walter flied out to deep left center to end the game.

In Game 1, Skidmore rallied from a 3-2 deficit after five innings, scoring two in the sixth and three in the seventh.

Freshman Will Potter (1-1) kept the Thoroughbreds in the game and picked up the victory on the hill, allowing three unearned runs on six hits in 6.0 innings. He struck out one and walked two. Aaron Kalish (1-3) took the loss for RPI, giving up four runs in eight hits in 5.1 innings. He had five strikeouts and one walk.

Chris Lorenz came through with the big hit in the sixth, plating two with a single down the line in right, giving Skidmore a 4-3 lead.

The Thoroughbreds were then able to add on in the seventh, scoring on a throwing error, a single by Josh Brown and a double-steal, executed by Mike LaVita and Brown, to make it 7-3.

Brown finished 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI. Mat Marino went 2 for 3 with a run. RPI was led by Spagnuola, who was 2 for 4 withe a double and a run scored. Sawyer went 2 for 3 with two RBI.

Rensselaer is back on the diamond next weekend, when it travel to RIT for a four-game series, which begins with a doubleheader on Saturday (1pm). Skidmore visits MCLA on Tuesday (4pm).