TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team collected two hard-fought wins on the diamond Saturday afternoon, as the Engineers defeated the Hobart Statesmen by final scores of 6-1 and 5-4 in the Liberty League Crossover Series. With the wins, the Engineers will now play host in the upcoming Liberty League Championship in Troy.

Game 1

Alex Vallee pitched eight innings - seven shutout innings - ahead of a scoreless ninth from freshman Dutch Hamilton as the Engineers took the first game of the day by a 6-1 final score.

Vallee scattered just five hits and struck out five, tossing just 86 pitches over the eight innings of work. His offense - led by a three-hit effort from Aidan Hicks - scored early and often. 

Robbie Reddington began the scoring in the bottom of the third with an RBI single up the middle to score Hicks, making things 1-0. Hicks and Joey Saia collected RBI hits in the bottom of the fourth, with Hicks doubling to right after an RBI single up the middle from Saia.

RPI's next couple runs came on Hobart miscues before Julian Scarpa sent a ground rule double over the left field fence in the bottom of the seventh to push the RPI lead to 6-0.

Vallee surrendered a solo home run to Nate Garrett in the top of the eighth inning, which was Hobart's only run of the game.


Game 2

A solo home run from Saia in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Engineers to a 5-4 victory in Game 2 to end the series for RPI.

Scarpa added a solo home run to get the Engineers on the board in the bottom of the second inning to make it 1-0 RPI before Garrett hit his second in as many games - a three-run shot - to give Hobart their first lead of the day, 3-1.

All the action came in the bottom of the seventh inning, as RPI was able to scrape across a couple runs to tie the game up at 3-3. A bases loaded walk drawn by Ayush Krishnappa brought home the first run, followed by a sacrifice fly from Martin Marintchev to even things up at 3-3. However, the Engineers added another on a wild pitch to take a 4-3 lead going into the eighth inning. 

RPI gave back a run with a bases loaded hit by pitch in the top of the eighth to square things up once again at 4-4 before Saia's blast to left center field in the bottom of the inning gave the Engineers the lead right back at 5-4.

In the top of the ninth, Cameron Hauer worked around a no out, bases loaded situation. After filling the bases, Heuer got a strikeout and a double play to end the ballgame and move the Engineers along to next weekend.