POTSDAM, N.Y. - Freshman Jack Moncur delivered a two-run, walk-off double to lift the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team to a 7-6 victory over Clarkson University in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Jack Phillips Stadium, on Monday afternoon. The Engineers, who won Game 1, 11-5, improve to 17-15 overall (13-7 Liberty League), while the Golden Knights drop to 17-15 (11-7 Liberty League).

Clarkson used a three-run top of the seventh to take a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the seventh in Game 2. With one out in the last half, sophomore Joseph Curci singled and was lifted for pinch runner DJ Morone. After a strikeout, sophomore Richard Drum extended the game with an opposite field single through the right side of the infield, putting two on with two away. Moncur then stepped up and laced a double to the gap in left center. Morone scored easily from second and Drum slid home safely under an errant relay throw for the one run victory.

Sophomore lefthander Chris Grome picked up the victory in relief, allowing a hit over 0.2 innings. Classmate Jake Nichols threw well, but took a no-decision, allowing two runs on three hits over 5.0 innings. He struck out four and walked three. Freshman George Rainer went 2 for 4 with a run and two runs batted in, while Curci, Moncur and Jake Defayette also collected a pair of base hits in the contest.

In Game 1, the Engineers plated two first innings runs, thanks to an error and an RBI-single from Drum. Clarkson then took its first lead of the day at 3-2 in the third. Vincent Granuzzo highlighted the rally with an RBI-single through the left side.

RPI came back with a six-run bottom of the fourth to retake the lead at 8-3. Six straight batters reached with one away, including a two-run double off the bat of Defayette, which plated Rainer and Jake Chekian. Senior Austin Lawrence followed with a run-scoring single to center, before Curci brought home RPI's seventh run with a double down the line in left. Jack Vaccari made it 8-3 on a sacrifice fly.

The Engineers pushed their lead to 11-3 in the fifth, scoring three runs on just two hits. Lawrence and Curci came through with RBI-singles, before Vaccari walked with the bases loaded to score the final run of the game for RPI.

Clarkson got two runs back in the top of the sixth, but could not solve sophomore reliever Mike Tagaris, who got the last five outs, allowing three hits and no runs. Senior Brendan McNerney (2-0) allowed five runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings, striking out three and walking four.  Mike Bubniak (4-4) suffered the loss for the Golden Knights, giving up six runs (4 earned) on five hits in 3.1 innings. 

The Engineers return to action next Saturday, when they open up a four-game series with RIT at Robison Field (1pm). Clarkson closes out the regular season with a home-and-home, four-game set with St. Lawrence, beginning on Saturday in Canton (12pm).