The skids are on. After a 14-9 comeback victory over Utica College April 8, baseball has now dropped five consecutive games, all at home.
Tuesday, UR lost all of its games against Rochester Institute of Technology and a doubleheader Sunday to Ithaca College.
In the first game against RIT, errors overshadowed junior Adam Fay?s 10-strikeout performance. In seven innings of work, Fay yielded three runs, but mistakes in the field by the Yellowjackets provided the Tigers with a 5-3 victory.
?We?re giving away too many outs,? head coach David Palese said. ?Too many four or five out innings.?
The Tigers scored early, mounting a four hit, three run rally in the top of the first inning. But UR retaliated in the fourth.
With two outs, the Yellowjackets loaded the bases as sophomores R.J. Johnsen and Rafael Jimenez and senior Dan Kernan each singled. Johnsen then came in on sophomore Ryan Hanley?s base hit and Jimenez scored when sophomore Matt Davison singled. However, the threat ended when senior Bill Rasmussen struck out with the bases loaded.
?We are taking ourselves out of an at-bat,? Palese said. ?Everyone?s trying to hit the six-run homer. It?s not going to happen,? he said.
In both the sixth and the seventh inning, errors would allow the Tigers to push a run across and open up a 5-2 lead.
In game two, a five-run fourth RIT proved devastating for the Yellowjackets as they fell 6-4.
Early on though, things appeared to be faring better. After falling behind 1-0 in the first, the Yellowjackets rallied for two in the bottom of the third to take a 2-1 lead.
Kernan led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch by RIT?s Kurt Phillipson. One out later, Davison?s base hit drove Kernan in. On Phillipson?s second wild pitch of the inning, Davison moved to second and came around on senior Keith Erazmus? single to left field.
But in the fourth, the Tigers were able to load the bases and three singles later went ahead 5-2. A fielder?s choice brought in the fifth run of the inning after Justin Davis would came in to relieve starting pitcher junior Brian Schobel.
The Yellowjackets added two more runs, one in the bottom of the fourth and another in the sixth, but would come no closer.
In game one of the doubleheader against Ithaca, nothing seemed to go right for the Yellowjackets in their 12-6 defeat.
Early on, it was the Bombers all the way, staking a 7-0 lead by the second inning. Ithaca battered Davis knocking him out after only an inning and a third. Schobel replaced him.
However, by the end of the fourth, UR was able to scratch back 7-3, abetted by three Ithaca errors. But in the fifth, things only got worse for the Yellowjackets as two errors of their own permitted the Bombers to score four more times and go ahead 11-3.
Ithaca scored once more in the sixth, and UR never overcame the large deficit. In the top of the seventh of the second game, Ithaca?s Ron Amato doubled in Todd Hillegas to break a 2-2 tie and help lead the Bombers to a 4-2 win.
In the second, the Yellowjackets took a 1-0 lead when Rasmussen reached on an error, moved to second on freshman Michael Lecsczinski?s walk and then scored on Jimenez?s single.
The Bombers struck back in the top of the third and then took a brief 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth.
Rasmussen tripled that inning with one out and then came home on Johnsen?s bunt.
Starting pitcher Adam Fay appeared to tire in the seventh and yielded the two runs that would result in the Yellowjacket loss.
Despite the defeat, UR out-hit the Bombers 4-3.
This weekend, the Yellowjackets will play in their first conference games. Saturday, UR will travel to Canton, N.Y. to face St. Lawrence University and Sunday they will be in Potsdam, N.Y. to play against Clarkson University.
?We just have to step it up a level in terms of intensity and desire,? Jimenez said. ?I?m pretty sure we?re ready to play this weekend.?
?We just need to stay positive,? Palese added. ?We?re going to be ok.?
