Courtesy of RITAthletics.com
ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT baseball team (15-6, 10-1 Liberty League) completed its four-game sweep over the University of Rochester (6-15, 4-10 Liberty League), rolling to a 12-2 win at Towers Field on Saturday evening. RIT has now won eight straight games and is in sole possession of first place in the Liberty League standings.
The Tigers won game one earlier in the day, 7-1 at Tiger Stadium behind a complete-game five-hitter from pitcher Daniel Zeglen (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) before moving to Towers Field as rain fell in the Rochester area for most of the afternoon.
Zeglen the hitter helped RIT blow game two wide open in the top of the sixth inning, as his three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning was the big blow in a six-run frame. He was 2-for-5 with three RBIs, as the Tigers out-hit Rochester, 17-8.
“I am really happy with how we are playing right now,” said RIT head coach Rob Grow. “The offense was relentless and once again we had strong pitching and defense.”
Rochester scored first in the bottom of the third inning on a run-scoring double by Pete Carrier. The Tigers would answer right back in the fourth inning, as Mike Myers (Hamlin, NY/Brockport) hit a two-run home run to left field after Brett Kajganich (North Royalton, OH/Holy Name) singled.
RIT would put the game away in the sixth inning, scoring six runs on six hits and three walks, while sending 12 men to the plate. With one out, Kajganich singled and moved to second on a single byBenjamin Terzini (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool). Myers followed with his third RBI of the day, a double to left center which scored Kajganich to make it 3-1. Zeglen followed with a three-run homer, his first of the season to give RIT a 6-1 lead. RIT was not finished however, as Patrick Mylott (Aurora, OH/Western Reserve Academy) doubled and scored on a single up the middle by Daniel Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) to make it 7-1 Tigers. Consecutive walks by Jason Schulz (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool),Navada Waterman (Coudersport, PA/Coudersport), and Kajganich would force in RIT’s sixth run of the inning.
Rochester would threaten in the bottom of the seventh inning, loading the bases with nobody out before Brett Bouchard (Fairport, NY/Fairport) came into the contest. After a shallow fly out to left field, Grant Kilmer would single in a run to make it 8-2. Bouchard would wiggle out of the jam however, getting a force out at home on a comebacker to the mound and a strikeout to end the inning.
RIT would tack on a run in the eighth and three more in the ninth inning.
Seven different Tigers had at least two hits. Myers was 3-for-5 with three extra base hits, his third home run of the season to go along with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Kajganich, Terzini, Mylott, Capra, and Schulz all had two hits apiece. Kajganich also scored twice and drove in a pair of runs.
Jameson Moran (Geneseo, NY/Geneseo) picked up the win, his third of the season, allowing a run on five hits, while striking out a career-high eight batters and walking three over six innings of work to lower his earned run average to 2.14 in 2017. Nick Claver (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) started the seventh inning before giving way to Bouchard, who allowed a hit and struck out three batters in two scoreless innings of relief. Kyle Povlock (Fairport, NY/Fairport) pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the game.
Jack Herman led the Yellowjackets with two hits and a run scored. Luke Meyerson took the loss on the mound, allowing 11 hits and eight runs in 5 1/3 innings. Rochester used three pitchers in relief.
On Friday, the Tigers took both ends of a doubleheader from Rochester at Tiger Stadium, winning 4-1 in game one and 2-1 in game two. RIT pitchers Brian Reed (Rochester, NY/Penfield), Stevie Branche(New Paltz, NY/New Paltz), and Bouchard combined to strike out 27 batters.
The Tigers are outscoring opponents 65-20 over their eight-game winning streak. They have now scored at least 10 runs in a game nine times this season. It is also RIT’s third four-game weekend sweep of a Liberty League opponent since joining the league in 2012 (Clarkson and Vassar, both in 2016). RIT has now won eight straight games for the first time since 2010. The Tigers also win nine straight in 2008.
RIT is right back in action on Tuesday with a road game at Keuka, which gets underway at 4 p.m.
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