TROY, N.Y. – The University of Rochester baseball team received 6.0 innings each from Trevor Van Allen and Jason Cobert in taking two games from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on Saturday afternoon at Towers Field. With wins of 9-4 and 12-1, the Yellowjackets improve to 16-5 overall (10-2 Liberty League), while the Engineers drop to 0-4 (0-4 Liberty League).
The Jackets scored in each of the first three innings of Game 1 to take an 8-2 advantage early.
Jack Vaccari provided the RPI scoring with a two-run triple in the top of the third, which drew the visitors to within 3-2 at the time.
A five-run bottom of the inning opened up the game for Rochester, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Brian McKinsey. Josh Rende added a run-scoring base hit in the inning, before Harper Sy drove in two with a base hit of his own.
RPI got one back in the fourth, before a
Hudson Livesey sacrifice fly made it an 8-4 game in the sixth. Jackson Reed answered with a sac fly in the bottom half of the inning for a 9-4 final.
Van Allen (2-1) allowed four runs on five hits in his 6.0 innings of work, before Thomas Karpishin tossed a clean seventh.
Jake Nichols (0-1) went 2.1 innings in his first start of the year, giving up seven runs on eight hits.
Michael Castello,
Bret Eirish and
Brendan Bucceri then got relief work in with Eirish throwing the lone scoreless outing.
Rochester built a 5-0 lead after three innings in Game 2. McKinsey opened the scoring with an RBI-single in the second, before a Josh Leadem single and a wild pitch led to two more in the third.
The Engineers got on the board in the fourth, when Livesey plated
Martin Marintchev with a groundout to third, but Rochester got the run back in the bottom half for a 6-1 advantage after four complete.
Jacob Matzat added the hosts' advantage with a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth, while Steve Pickering plated two more with a double in the seventh.
Colbert (3-1) surrendered one run on five hits in 6.0 innings for the win. He struck out four and walked one.
Evan Mahns (0-1) took the loss for the Engineers, allowing five runs (3 earned) on for hits in 3.0 innings.
Mike Tagaris was RPI's most effective reliever, allowing one run over 2.0 innings.
Vaccari led the Engineers offensively, going a combined 3 for 7 with two RBIs. Marintchev went 3 for 6, while
Joe Curci added a pair of hits.
The Engineers return to on Wednesday, when they host Skidmore for two at Robison Field at Karl Steffen Ballpark (2pm).
