RPI Takes Pair From Brewers Sunday Afternoon

POUGHKEEPSIE – The Vassar College baseball team saw its program record eight-game win streak come to an end on Sunday afternoon, dropping both ends of a Liberty League doubleheader to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in action from Prentiss Field. The Brewers fell in game one 11-0, before dropping the nightcap 10-1.

Game 1: RPI 11, Vassar 0

Rensselaer’s Christopher Palmiero tossed a complete game shutout for the Engineers, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out six to snap the Vassar win streak.

The game was scoreless through the opening two innings, but RPI pushed two across in the third on a fielding error by VC and a bases loaded walk.

The Engineers added to their lead in the fifth inning, as JT Sawyer scored Justin Valente with a single to right center field to make the score 3-0. Later in the inning, Weston Hawkins scored Christian Spagnuola on a sacrifice fly to center to push the lead to four runs for the visitors. RPI added three more in the sixth and four in the seventh to supply Palmiero with plenty of run support in the win.

Freshman Matt Martino was 1-for-3 for the Brewers with a double, his seventh of the season, while fellow freshman Evan Trausch and junior Matt Hernandez each had hits for the Brewers. RPI finished with 16 hits in game one, led by Spagnuola and his 3-for-4 day, driving in three runs as well. Valente posted three hits, two RBI and two run scored as well, while Ethann Meister was 2-for-4 with a double.

Senior Sam Lawrence chalked up two hits for the Engineers as well, while Jason Ramos was 2-for-3 and Sawyer finished 2-for-5 with a RBI. Vassar starter Trent Berg got the loss, falling to 1-4 on the season after allowing no earned runs and five hits over 3.1 innings of work.

Game 2: RPI 10, Vassar 1

The Engineers scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning in game two, taking advantage 12 walks in the contest to rally for the 10-1 victory. Vassar took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, as senior Denis Shanagher tripled to left center field and was immediately scored on the next pitch by a Trausch single to right field.

In the bottom of the fifth, Vassar had a chance to add on after Taylor Smach double and single from Chris Lee, but RPI starter Aaron Kalish induced a strikeout and ground ball double play to get out of the inning. In the top of the sixth, Rensselaer also threatened with runners on the corners with two out but junior John Madsen came on and got Sawyer to pop out to second base to end the inning.

RPI would bust out though in the seventh inning, scoring five runs on just one hit in the frame though it was a big two-run single by Valente to make the score 3-1. Two more runs would score on passed balls to put the Engineers up four runs.

The Engineers would continue to score over the last two innings, plating a run in the eighth and four in the ninth to pull away. Kalish earned the win for the Engineers, going six innings while allowing four hits and one earned run, while Adam Aponte came on to get his fourth save of the year while surrendering one hit.

Five batters had one hit in the nightcap for the Brewers, as Smach and Shanagher each had extra base hits. RPI was paced by the 2-for-5 game from Valente, who also scored a run in addition to his two RBI. Senior Jeff Sitarski also scored twice for RPI after walking three times, as four batters for the visitors had two or more free passes.

Vassar starter Joe Conti was strong over 5.1 innings of work, allowing just four hits with five strikeouts. VC used eight pitchers in game two, as Max Spencer got the one batter he faced in the sixth to keep VC up 1-0. RPI left 12 runners on base as well in game two.

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