Marist Drops DH on Back-to-Back 3-2 Walk Offs

TROY – Despite tying each game in the second to last inning on home runs, the Marist baseball team dropped both games of a double header on walk off hits by scores of 3-2 vs the Siena Saints at Robison Field on the campus of Rensselear Polytechnic Institute on Sunday.

Game 1:
It was the Saints that took the game’s first lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. A one out double to right center was followed with the next batter reaching first on a strike three wild pitch that set up men on first and third.

After a walk loaded the bases, a sac squeeze bunt scored the run from third and gave Siena the 1-0 advantage.

Then, in the bottom of the seventh, a one out doubles gave the Saints a 2-0 lead.

With only two hits in the game up through seven innings, the Red Foxes answered in the top of the eighth. Freshman Nick Cantone led off with a single to left field and, three batters later, redshirt junior Greg Kocinski tied the game with a two run homer to right center that cleared the roughly 20 foot wall and the game went into the final inning even at 2-2.

After a scoreless frame in the top of the ninth, Siena then walked off in the bottom of the inning on a game winning one out home run to left field that secured the 3-2 victory.

Game 2:
For the second straight game, the Saints opened the scoring, this time in the bottom of the third inning with back-to-back-to-back singles to second base, right field and the pitcher that loaded the bases with no outs. An RBI sac fly to center field by the next batter scored the run from third and advanced the runner from second to third, before the next batter followed with an RBI single up the middle to give Siena the 2-0 lead.

Marist answered for the second consecutive game in the second-to-last inning, this time in the top of the sixth, on back-to-back one out solo home runs by juniors Frankie Gregoire and Randy Taveras to tie the game at 2-2.

After the Red Foxes were unable to take the lead in their final at bat, the Saints again walked off in the last inning. A lead of single to short and a fly out to center, was followed by a Marist pitching change. The next batter singled to put men on first and second, two batters later a walk loaded the bases with two outs and a game winning single to center scored the game winning run and gave Siena the day’s second 3-2 walk off win.