TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team rolled to a doubleheader sweep of Vermont State Castleton today at Robison Baseball Field, exploding for a 24-2 victory in the opener before finishing the day with a 7-4 win in game two.

RPI set the tone immediately in game one and never let up, scoring in each of its first six turns at the plate and posting a 10-run third inning to break the contest wide open. The Engineers struck for a run in the first when Walker Abdallah reached to start the frame and later scored on Matt Chotiner's RBI single, then Abdallah left the yard with a solo homer in the second to make it 2-0.

In the decisive third, RPI sent 15 batters to the plate, producing five hits and taking advantage of control issues and miscues, with Chotiner delivering another run-scoring hit, Robbie Reddington ripping a two-run double, and Chotiner adding a two-run double later in the inning as the lead ballooned to 12-0.

The barrage continued in the fourth, highlighted by Alex Coombes' grand slam that capped a four-run frame, and RPI tacked on five more in the fifth behind an RBI triple from Jorge Hitlin, an RBI double by Stephen Koval, and another run driven in via a Coombes sacrifice fly.

Vermont State Castleton's only scoring came on a two-run homer in the sixth, but RPI answered with three more in the bottom half, punctuated by consecutive RBI doubles from Reddington and Abdallah and another sacrifice fly by Coombes to close out the 24-2 final.

Abdallah powered the opener, going 4-for-4 with a double, a home run, six runs scored, and three RBI, while Coombes finished with six RBI, including the grand slam and two sacrifice flies. Chotiner collected three hits and drove in four, and Reddington scored four times while adding two doubles and three RBI.

On the mound, Liam Riordan earned the win with 6.0 innings of work, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out seven, and Sam Kuss followed with a scoreless seventh.

Game two featured a steadier rhythm, but RPI again jumped out early and made the key plays late. Chotiner provided the first punch with a solo home run in the bottom of the first, and the Engineers added another on Dynan's sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead.

After Dynan doubled home a run in the third to make it 3-0, Vermont State Castleton chipped back with single runs in the fourth and fifth, but RPI answered in the bottom of the fifth when Abdallah singled and eventually scored on Coombes' RBI groundout.

The Engineers added breathing room in the sixth as Dylan Shawver singled, moved up on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on Charlie Lapp's RBI single to make it 5-2.

In the eighth, RPI manufactured two more runs with hustle and pressure. Lapp laid down a bunt single, and after Abdallah's sacrifice fly, Chotiner knocked in another with a run-scoring single for a 7-2 edge. Vermont State Castleton threatened in the ninth with a two-run single, but Andrew Gaughan induced the final out to lock up the sweep.

Chotiner led the offense in the nightcap with a 4-for-5 performance that included the home run and two RBI, while Coombes scored twice and drove in one, Dynan drove in two, and Lapp added two hits and an RBI.

Ben Belliss struck out six over 4.0 innings in the start, Andrew Crux earned the win in relief, and Gaughan notched the save to finish the day.

RPI returns to Robison Field tomorrow to host Keene State in a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 pm.