TROY, N.Y. – Graduate student Chris Grome struck out a career-high 13 batters to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team to a split of its Liberty League doubleheader with Bard College on Saturday afternoon at Robison Field at Karl Steffen Ballpark. The Engineers, who won the opener 16-1 and lost the nightcap, 9-5, are now 8-10 overall, while the Raptors move to 7-9 (2-4 Liberty League).

Grome (3-0) allowed just one run on three hits over 8.0 innings, throwing 108 pitches. He surpassed his previous strikeout high of 11, which he established last month, punching out five of the last six batters he faced.

After the Raptors struck for their only run of the game in the top of the first, the Engineers went to work, plating multiple runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings. Ayush Krishnappa opened the scoring for the hosts, driving in Martin Marinchev with an infield single, before George Rainer doubled home Cole Paquin.

In the three-run third, Rainer doubled to center, scoring Hudson Livesey. Joey Saia the reached on an error that allowed two more runs to score. Livesey then drove in two with a double in the fourth for an 8-1 lead.

Livesey also highlighted RPI's four-run fifth with a rally-capping, two-run double to center, scoring Joe Curci and Jake Defayette for a 12-1 advantage. The Engineers got long balls from Saia and Paquin in the sixth and seventh – the second of which was a three-run shot.

Rob Goldstein worked a scoreless ninth on the hill for RPI, allowing a hit, with one strikeout and one walk. Evan Matthews (1-2) took the loss for the Raptors, giving up eight runs (6 earned) on five hits over 4.0 innings. He struck out four and walked five.

In the nightcap, Bard used a pair of big innings to pull out a 9-5 victory and a Saturday split.

RPI plated single runs in the second and third to take a 2-0 lead. Saia tripled-home the opening tally, before Curci ripped an opposite field homer – his first of the season.

The Raptors struck for five runs in the top of the fourth, highlighted by a bases-clearing double off the bat of Jack Williamson.

Defayette pulled the hosts to within 5-4 with his team-leading sixth homer of the season. His two-run shot made its way into the tree in right.

Bard then plated four in the fifth for a 9-4 lead. Justin Flume hit a two-run home run to right to get the inning started, before Jared Toby tripled in another and then came across on a sacrifice fly.

Rensselaer was able to scratch one more run across on a Marinchev sac fly in the sixth, but Bard righthander Bryant Elliott was able to close the door in the seventh to secure the win.

Starter Spencer Checkway (2-1) gave up four runs on seven hits over 4.0 innings, striking out three and walking three. Ryan Yerby (1-3) suffered the defeat for RPI, allowing eight runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings. He had four strikeouts and two walks.

Both teams are back in action tomorrow afternoon for game three of the weekend series (1pm).