TROY, N.Y. - Eight different pitchers combined to strike out nine with no earned runs allowed while eight different batters had at least one hit as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team defeated Utica University 7-1 in a non-league game. The result improves RPI's record to 16-9-1, including 6-1 in its last seven, and drops the Pioneers to 15-8.

The Engineers used three consecutive doubles off the wall to jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Cole Paquin started the sequence with one out and he came around to score on a hit by Martin Marintchev. Cleanup hitter Julian Scarpa followed with a two-bagger of his own to plate Marintchev.

Stephen Koval made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to right field in the second inning and Koval later scored the fourth run in the fifth. 

Utica got its run in the sixth thanks to an RBI single by John Longeretta, but Koval picked up his second run batted in on a ground out in the Rensselaer half. A two-run home run to left field by Joey Saia in the seventh concluded the scoring.

Freshman lefthander Julian Fong-McAdams pitched three innings, allowing two hits and two walks with three strikeouts, and earned the win. Ryan Brown threw the fourth inning, striking out two, and three others picked up an inning apiece to get to the eighth. Two relievers shared the eighth inning before Evan Mahns pitched the ninth, striking out one before finishing the game by inducing a double play ball.

Aidan Safar went 2 for 3 with a run off the bench and Saia and Koval were both 1 for 2 with a walk, a run, and two runs batted in.

Longeretta was 3 for 3 for the visitors, who got two hits and a run in four at bats from Nathan Yantz. Starter Derrike Goutremout, who went 4.1 innings, took the loss on the mound.