This past weekend featured a pair of away doubleheaders against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). UR won the first game 10-5 on Saturday, April 7, before losing the second 4-2 on day one. Day two had two losses of 2-7 and 7-10 for the Yellowjackets.
The ten runs scored in the series opener represented a season high for the Yellowjackets. This was largely thanks to sophomore first baseman Nick Carlson, who hit two home runs and recorded four RBIs in four trips to the plate. Aside from Carlson, four other UR players recorded at least one RBI, including a double by senior infielder Robby Barnard that knocked in freshman infielder Tim LeSuer, giving the Yellowjackets the lead for the rest of the game. At the end of day one, Barnard was 5-7 at the plate with 3 runs, 2 RBIs and a walk. Junior pitcher Jon Menke was credited with the win after pitching six innings, allowing five runs on eight hits.
Game two was a sloppier affair. Failing to find the same offensive spark as they had in game one. Although they committed four errors in the field, the team was able to limit the damage to only one unearned run. However, this still proved to be too much, with RPI pitchers limiting Rochester to one earned run off of seven hits in nine innings.
The RPI Engineers dominated the first game of the day two doubleheader on Sunday, April 8, winning 7-2. Freshman RPI pitcher Jared Jensen threw a complete game, giving up only two hits. While one of those two hits was a two-run home run by sophomore outfielder Sam Slutsky, this seemed to be the only mistake Jensen made in game one. Facing 26 batters, only five more than the minimum, he gave up three walks and struck out three. Aside from their strong pitching, RPI also had stellar performances from the middle of their lineup, with the third, fourth and fifth hitters going a collective 6-9 at the plate, with six RBIs and three runs.
Game two of day two was more of a battle. UR jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, the charge led mainly by a four-run third inning. RPI tied it up in the top of the fourth inning off of a grand slam by Jensen. However, the tie did not last long. RPI put three more on the scoreboard an inning later in the fifth. Trying to save a split of the weekend series, Barnard knocked in freshman outfielder Josh Ludwig on a sac fly in the bottom of the sixth, which was followed by an RBI double by Slutsky, on which senior outfielder Dominic Caruso scored to bring the Yellowjackets within one run of the Engineers. The nail in the coffin came the very next inning, in the seventh, when RPI catcher Eric Kozak hit a two-RBI single to make it 10-7.
UR fell to 5-15 this season and is 2-9 in Liberty League play. The team next takes on the College at Brockport: State University of New York on home turf Wednesday, April 11 at 4 p.m.
Holden is a member of the class of 2013.
