RPI’s first baseball game after its Florida training trip was a disappointment. The Red Hawks traveled to Hoboken, N.J., to take on the Stevens Ducks Saturday. RPI led most of the game, but Stevens rallied, scoring all 10 of their runs in the final four innings to win the game 10-9.
RPI took the lead in the third inning, with second baseman Flynn Cochran, catcher Brian Marine, and shortstop Marc Shumsker all tallying runs.
Nick Parenteau hit a home run off of pitcher Gerard Moreno in the fourth inning, and Dan Quinn homered in the fifth inning to push the score to 5-0.
Moreno walked three consecutive Rensselaer batters—Marine, Parenteau, and Shumsker—to start the sixth before he was relieved by Greg Malloy. Mike Passante hit into a fielder’s choice allowing the Ducks to get Marine out at home, but on the next play, Ryan Meron hit a sacrifice fly to center field to allow Parentau to score.
Pitcher Brian Brzek held the Ducks to no runs and only seven hits through five innings of play before Charles Yarnold came in to pitch at the bottom of the sixth. Stevens scored their first run of the game in the sixth inning when Ryan Birkenstock scored on a Kevin Suders double.
Quinn and Cochran started off the seventh inning with back-to-back home runs to increase the RPI lead to 8-1.
Stevens started mounting their comeback in the seventh inning. Jeff Drobik scored to start the inning and Adam Sandt followed up with a two-run homer. After trailing by seven runs, the Ducks pulled back within four at the end of the seventh.
Ben Shaw came in to pitch for the Ducks at the start of the eighth inning. Third baseman Joe Ihnatolya scored off a Cochran double to tally RPI’s final run of the game.
Chris Sullivan came in to pitch for Yarnold to start the bottom half of the eighth. Yarnold allowed four runs on four hits in two innings. Shaw and Suders scored for Stevens Tech, and RPI saw its lead dwindle to just three.
RPI wasn’t able to put any more runs on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth, and the game was put in the hands of the Red Hawks’ defense. Ryan Ool came in to pitch after Sullivan put two Ducks on base. Sullivan allowed four runs on four hits in one inning.
Birkenstock and Tim Meehan scored to pull the Ducks within one. Shaw hit a single up the middle to the game as Adam Yoda and Sandt crossed the plate. Shaw notched his first win of the season, and Ool took his first loss for RPI.
Cochran went 4-for-4 in the loss with two runs and two RBI and Parenteau went 2-for-3 with three runs and one RBI.
RPI was scheduled to play yesterday at William Patterson, but the game was postponed due to unfavorable playing conditions. The game has been rescheduled for April 21, at 3:30 pm. RPI’s next game is today at home against Oneonta State at 3 pm before traveling to Montclair State this weekend to play two games.
