As the weather in Rochester gets warmer, so too does the Yellowjackets baseball team. After a small bump in the road during the week, the ‘Jackets swept both doubleheaders over the weekend, improving their record to 9-3 within Liberty League play.
The .750 winning percentage puts the team in sole possession of first place in the league, six points ahead of second place Clarkson University.
This week featured a midweek game against St. John Fisher College and four games over the weekend against Union College.
On April 6, UR took on St. John Fisher College in a game that went 10 innings but eventually was won by St. John Fisher 8-6. The ‘Jackets got on the board first in the first inning, and took a 4-0 lead before St. John Fisher got on the board.
A combination of eight UR pitchers helped to keep the team in the game – however, errors and unearned runs led to the loss. Through 10 innings, the pitching staff kept Fisher to only three earned runs, but the five unearned runs helped lead to the loss.
Over the weekend, UR played Union in two doubleheaders. All four games were taken by the ‘Jackets.
In the first game, freshman phenom pitcher Blair Veenema gave up only one run over the course of seven innings. However, the offense made it so he had even more margin for error.
Sophomore designated hitter Josh London led the hitting assault with a 2-3 day and two RBIs in the 7-1 win for the Yellowjackets. In the second part of the doubleheader, another strong pitching performance carried the ‘Jackets to a 4-0 win.
UR rode the arm of sophomore pitcher Pete McEneaney, who pitched a complete game, nine-inning shutout, giving up only three singles. Sophomore Dave Kloc provided all the run support McEneaney needed, going 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
On Sunday, the team swept another doubleheader against Union. In the first game, a 4-2 win, the offense was paced from the leadoff spot by freshman second baseman Kurt Bednarcyk, who had a 2-4 performance with a double, RBI and a run scored.
Sophomore pitcher John Fishback pitched a complete game for the win, giving up two runs and six hits over seven innings. Pitching was the highlight of the weekend, and it continued to be superb in the second game. Senior pitcher Steve Foley pitched a complete game, giving up only two unearned runs and five hits over nine innings, leading the team to a 7-2 victory.
The hitting was certainly a team effort, with a total of 15 hits coming from the ‘Jackets. Kloc led the team, with a 4-5 day. Freshman infielder Dan Brien came in as a pinch hitter and went 2-2 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Sophomore catcher Devin Shane caught all four games over the weekend and handled the impressive pitching extremely well.
“We came together as a team all four games and are getting closer to playing at our full potential,” Shane said. Look for this team to get better and better and pad their lead in the standings as they hit that potential.
Goff can be reached at sgoff@campustimes.org.
