TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team completed a Liberty League doubleheader sweep of Vassar today at Robison Baseball Field, winning the opener 10-6 before closing the day with a 2-0 shutout in game two.

RPI came out firing in the first game, striking for a run in the bottom of the first when Walker Abdallah singled and eventually scored on Alex Coombes' RBI double to left. 

The Engineers kept the pressure on in the second, capitalizing on traffic and timely swings to post four runs, highlighted by Coombes' run-scoring single and a two-run base hit from Ben Belliss, to take a 5-0 lead.

Andrew Crux kept the momentum rolling with a solo home run to right in the third, and RPI added two more in the fifth when Abdallah reached and Michael Lebenson lined a two-run single to right to make it 8-0.

Vassar mounted a comeback with three runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to cut the margin to 8-6, but the Engineers answered immediately in the bottom half, forcing in a pair of insurance runs to regain separation and secure the 10-6 final.

Abdallah paced the offense in the opener with three runs scored, while Coombes and Belliss each delivered two-hit, two-RBI performances. 

Liam Riordan earned the win with 6.1 strong innings and 10 strikeouts.

Game two was a crisp, pitching-driven win that hinged on one swing in the bottom of the first. Abdallah drew a leadoff walk, and Lebenson followed by launching a two-run home run to right-center for the only scoring of the contest.

From there, the Engineers' staff and defense took over, working out of a few Vassar chances and turning three double plays to keep the Brewers off the board.

Belliss headlined the shutout, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts to earn the win, and Mike Nelson and Crux bridged the middle innings before Zac Zajac slammed the door in the ninth for his second save of the season.

The Engineers stay at home to host MCLA in a 3:30 tilt on Wednesday.