“I’d like to not put ourselves in that position,” Head Coach Karl Steffen said about the ditch his team dug each day, “but maybe it’ll make us better in the long run.”

The new schedule format this season has the team playing two doubleheaders every weekend that they take on a league opponent. While Steffen believes this gives his team an advantage because of the strength of the starting rotation, he knows they have to do more than just split to make the playoffs.

“Now, we just have to stop losing the first game,” the veteran coach half-joked.

The Red Hawks opened up league play with a 7-5 loss on Friday afternoon. Even behind a complete game effort by sophomore Tim Klein, the team failed to capitalize.

“We were probably a little bit overanxious,” Steffen admitted, “and we allowed them to put points on the board.”

Rensselaer hurt themselves in the fifth inning, committing two costly errors and hitting a batter to allow four Golden Knights to cross the plate, and giving Clarkson a 6-2 lead.

A three-run sixth inning rally was too little too late for the Red Hawks. Klein took the loss giving up seven runs, but only three earned.

Steffen’s squad bounced back in the nightcap riding the arm of another sophomore—Joe Zongol. Zongol pitched another complete game, going nine innings for the win. He struck out nine, coughed up only two hits, and allowed only one earned run.

Clarkson actually jumped out to a one-run lead in the fourth, but catcher Stevan Slusher snatched the lead out from under them with a two-run double in the home-half of the inning. Both teams added another run, and the Golden Knights fell 3-2.

On Saturday, Rensselaer once again received two very strong pitching efforts from the starters, but only managed to pick up one win. “We have as good of starting pitchers as there is.” Steffen added, “But the bullpen isn’t getting the job done.”

Rensselaer pulled out to a 2-0 lead in the first game off a solo homerun by junior Adam Lasek, and an RBI single by senior captain Mike Passante, but the bullpen blew the lead.

Junior Luke Calzone pitched 5.2 innings giving up one run in the sixth, but still leaving with the 2-1 lead. Senior Rich Mundy, who had a strong outing in Florida from the pen, came in for the save in the seventh. He walked two, gave up two singles, and hit a batter, contributing to the Golden Knights’ 3-2 victory.

The Red Hawks dominated the second game but had a scare at the end before winning 13-7.

Charlie Yarnold pitched a gem through seven innings, allowing only one hit and striking out 11, and leaving the game with a cushy 13-0 lead. The senior was named Liberty League Pitcher of the Week for his performance.

Slusher was a big part of the Rensselaer offensive outburst. He compiled five RBIs on two homeruns, a two-run shot in the fifth and a three-run blast in the sixth.

“He doesn’t strike out, that’s why we moved him into the fourth spot,” Steffen said. “He can also hit with some power.” Slusher was named to the All-Liberty League and All-ECAC teams last season as a freshman.

Clarkson finally got on the board in the ninth inning, and in a big way. Seven Golden Knights crossed the plate in the last half-inning of the game before Luke Boylan finally got Chris Todd to fly out to end the game.

Steffen knows he needs the bullpen to step up, and he is going to use the upcoming games against non-league opponents to experiment. “We have to get them on more of a regular routine,” Steffen acknowledged.

He also wasn’t happy with the way his offense performed. “I thought we could have hit their pitching better than we did.” He attributed this to the fact that the team practices against their own pitchers who tend to throw more fastballs, whereas the rest of the league tosses more offspeed and breaking balls.

The team has been producing less offense than in years past. “Joe [Ihnatolya] has been struggling lately. When he gets hot, he could carry us,” Steffen said of his senior first-baseman. Ihnatolya, who finished third on the team last season with a .392 batting average, has only hit .250 this season.