TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team came through with a 5-4 victory after a lopsided 14-0 loss in Game 1 of the day against the Ithaca Bombers in the Liberty League Crossover Weekend on Saturday afternoon at Robison Field. Both squads will now play a third and deciding game on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. in Troy.

Game 1

The Bombers hit four home runs and Kyle Lambert allowed just four hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings as Ithaca won 14-0 in a nine-inning game.

The visitors got off to a fast start with four runs in the first inning, highlighted by a line drive, three-run homer to right center field from first baseman Garrett Callaghan, the team's third hitter. A double down the right field line by Riley Brawdy four batters later made it 4-0.

In the fifth inning, Callaghan, a graduate student, added two runs to the scoreboard with his second homer, also pulled over the right field fence. A bases loaded walk by Gil Merod put the difference at seven runs before the third out was recorded.

A run on a wild pitch was followed by a grand slam by Colin Feeney put the score at 12-0 in the seventh and a two-run blast from Brawdy in the eighth concluded the scoring. 

Lambert, a senior, scattered four singles to improve to 5-2. Erislandy Rives allowed one hit in two innings of relief. Cameron Heuer took the loss for RPI, which used five pitchers.. 

Robbie Reddington had two of Rensselaer's hits, while Feeney, Ithaca's leadoff hitter, was 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBI. Callaghan was 2 for 4 with two runs and five runs batted in and Colin Shashaty was 4 for 5 with two runs for the Bombers, who had 14 hits and seven walks.

Game 2

Ithaca jumped on the Engineers early once again, as singles from Riley Brawdy and Ethan Rothstein in the top of the second inning pushed their lead to 2-0. The Bombers added another run in the top of the third to make it 3-0 after an RPI error allowed a run to score.

The day flipped in favor of RPI in the bottom of the fifth inning. An RBI single from Robbie Reddington broke the ice for the Engineers, knocking an RBI single up the middle to score Ayush Krishnappa to cut the Bomber's lead to 3-1. After Reddington's base knock, the Engineers loaded the bases for Julian Scarpa. With two out in the inning, Scarpa delivered an RBI double off the right center field wall, scoring all three runners and giving RPI their first lead of the day, 4-3. 

Louis Fabbo responded for the Bombers with an RBI double in the top of the sixth inning, bringing the score back to 4-4. With the Engineers needed a win, they would get just that after Reddington answered the bell again with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, scoring Joey Saia to give RPI the 5-4 lead.

Rylan Wade entered in the top of the seventh inning, locking down the Bombers for his first save of the season to force the third and deciding game on Sunday.