The Red Hawks opened the conference tournament against the Saint Lawrence Saints. The game was a nail biter through the first three innings of play, as the stingy pitchers on both sides surrendered only two hits combined.

In the fourth inning, the Saints seized the first advantage of the game on a passed ball that was sloppily handled by Red Hawk catcher Seth Shuket to take the lead 1-0. Undeterred, RPI quickly stormed back with three runs in the fifth inning and eventually won the game on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice in the 11th inning.

The following day, the Red Hawks played host to their archrivals, the Clarkson Golden Nights. The winner of the contest would clinch a spot in the UCAA Championship, while the loser would fall into the loser’s bracket.

After Clarkson rushed out of the gates with three runs in the first inning off of two quiet singles and a booming double, RPI was again forced to play comeback baseball.

As if on cue, the Red Hawks again answered the bell, knocking out 13 hits and scoring 10 runs in just the first four frames for a 10-4 lead. They added four more runs in the latter four innings of play to cushion their lead and won the game 14-10. The victory landed the Red Hawks into the championship game to await the winner of the Clarkson-Rochester game played later that evening.

In that second game, the Golden Knights demolished Rochester 14-2 to set up a rematch between the Knights and the Red Hawks. Because RPI had won both of their first two games in the first round, they only needed one victory in the two championship games to win the tournament; Clarkson needed both wins.

With the threat of rain looming on the horizon, UCAA tournament officials scheduled the first game for a 10:30 start hoping to get both games in, if necessary. The Red Hawks held the Golden Knights mostly in check through the early stretch of the game and were tied with Clarkson 1-1 by the end of the fourth inning.

In the fifth inning, Clarkson grabbed the lead 3-1 on the strength of two hits and a sacrifice fly. That lead did not last for very long, though, as the Red Hawks responded with four more runs in the sixth and seventh frames to lead 5-4.

Six outs away from the championship win, RPI’s pitching ran out of steam and gave up their hard-earned lead; the Knights now led 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth. Deflated by their pitching struggles, the Red Hawks failed to mount a ninth inning comeback and lost the game 6-5.

Sunday’s second game started out poorly for RPI, and it looked like they might lose the tournament as they trailed 1-0 in the fourth inning.

However, the arrival of thunderstorms eventually washed out that second game. Because the UCAA needed a conference winner by 7 pm that evening, the Red Hawks won the tournament by virtue of the fact that they were the first team to two victories in the first round of play—a technicality, but a legitimate UCAA title nonetheless. Despite the sloppy play of RPI in both championship games, the Red Hawks earned a trip to the regionals and the Golden Knights were sent home packing with a sour taste in their mouths. The old baseball adage that it’s better to be lucky than good had held true thanks to Mother Nature.

The first opponent for the Red Hawks in the East Regionals played at local Joseph L. Bruno Stadium was the Mount Saint Mary Mountaineers. RPI began the contest playing solidly, as starting pitcher Erik Thunell held Mount Saint Mary in check through the first five innings after he was staked to a 1-0 lead in the second frame.

However, Thunell grew fatigued in the sixth inning and squandered the Red Hawks’ slim lead by coughing up two line drives that led to the Mountaineers tying the game on a sacrifice fly. Mount Saint Mary pounded Thunell and reliever Ryan McGough for six more runs in the eighth and ninth innings and knocked off the Red Hawks by a final score of 7-3.

The loss dropped RPI into the loser’s bracket and into a must-win situation against the Messiah Falcons. Like the previous game against the Mountaineers, the Red Hawks again started out strong, scoring two runs in the first inning.

But RPI starter Max Miller did not have his best stuff that day, and it showed in the third inning when the Falcons rocked him for five runs, capped by a three-run home run belted to deep left field. The Red Hawks attempted a comeback in the later two innings but fell short, losing the game by a final score of 5-4.