The Rensselaer baseball team had a great week winning six out of seven games and improving its record to 19-7, 8-4 in the Liberty League. The wins included a powerful doubleheader sweep at home of both Union and Clarkson. The Red Hawks’ bats got into the groove as they averaged eight runs a game over the week.
Last Wednesday the Red Hawks took on Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in a non-league game. The two teams battled through an arduous 12-inning game with Rensselaer, the home team, coming out on top, 5-4. The Red Hawks were helped out by a number of MCLA errors as three of their runs, including the deciding, 12th inning run, were unearned. Senior Adam Lasek scored the winning run after singling to lead off the inning. Another unearned run was scored by MCLA in the top of the ninth inning to eventually force extra innings. Despite this, the Red Hawks came out of the non-league game with another victory.
The weekend had in store a four game series for the Red Hawks against Route 7 rival Union. A doubleheader was played in Schenectady on Saturday and another at Robison Field Sunday. RPI got the best of the Dutchmen as they split the away doubleheader and the team swept the home one in convincing fashion.
At Union the runs were scarce as RPI was shut down in the first game by Union’s ace. The Red Hawk offense could only amass four hits and two walks. Meanwhile, RPI’s ace, southpaw junior Joe Zongol, pitched a decent game, allowing only one hit through his first five innings and two earned runs, but still had to take his first loss of the season as a four-hit, two-run sixth inning proved to be the deciding runs, bringing his record to 3-1 on the season.
The Red Hawks still took the loss 2-0 and came back for the nightcap wanting to get even with their league rival. The second game was yet again a low-scoring affair as the Red Hawks could only put up a run in the fifth inning thanks to a double by sophomore Mike Giacoia, and a run in the sixth inning. Union could only muster a seventh-inning lone run on the board against RPI’s freshman pitcher Josh Dreimiller. Dreimiller scattered five hits over the nine innings and the lone earned run to get the complete game win. Dreimiller, who has a 1.32 ERA, now has a record of 3-2 on the season.
On Sunday the Red Hawks had a breakout day and, for the first time this season, swept a doubleheader. Neither of the two games at Robison Field were close as RPI smashed the ball, putting up 14 and 21 runs over the seven—and nine—inning games. Senior Jason Pollard, who didn’t play in either of the games on Saturday, went 5-6 on the day, including a grand slam and six runs batted in.
The first game was close, 5-3, until the fifth inning when the Red Hawks hung a nine on the board. Union kept the rally going with a few errors, but the real damage was done by the Red Hawk bats; Pollard got it started leading off the inning with a hit-by-pitch. Senior first baseman Ken Carroll later had a bases loaded single to drive in two runs and Pollard sent an offering over the wall in left center with the bases loaded for the grand slam. Pollard went 2-2 in the first game including the four RBIs. Carroll finished the first game 3-4. Union could not answer even with a few late meaningless runs and RPI took the first game 14-7.
The second game picked up where the first one ended as Union scored three times in the first inning only to be outdone by RPI in the bottom of the inning as the Red Hawks scored four. Rensselaer then once again had a hard-hitting rally in the fourth, scoring eight times on eight hits and sending 14 men to the plate. With a commanding 14-4 lead RPI didn’t look back scoring at least a run in each of the last four innings to eventually finish the game with a 21-4 win. The sweep was by a combined score of 34-11.
On Tuesday the Red Hawks looked to continue their three-game winning streak against league rival Clarkson. The doubleheader played at Robison field was dominated by RPI pitchers as pitching ace Zongol and fellow pitcher sophomore Andy Opperman combined for 25 strikeouts in 14 innings. The two seven-inning games ended in a 9-4 and 5-1 win for Rensselaer. Zongol allowed four runs in the first game on nine hits and struck out 14, bringing his season total to 48 strikeouts. The southpaw now has a 1.42 ERA with a 4-1 record. Opperman’s record improved to 2-0.
Offensively the Red Hawks were led on the day by sophomore Jim Devine who had a combined four hits and three RBIs. Junior Shane Griffin also had four hits on the day.
The first game saw RPI battle from behind 3-0, scoring in each of the last five innings. The Red Hawks finally took the lead in the sixth behind an RBI single by junior Dan Valentine. Four runs in the seventh put the game away as the Rensselaer baseball team took the first game 9-4.
In the second game, Opperman tried to outdo his fellow pitcher by only allowing one run on two hits and striking out 11, including two Clarkson batters in each of five different innings. Valentine went 2-3 including a two-RBI triple, boosting his average to .440 in the nine games he has played. Griffin had two of his four hits in the second game including an RBI single in the third inning.
The week was a good one for the baseball team which now rides a five-game win streak into an away game at Williams on Thursday and a couple league play doubleheaders against Skidmore this weekend.
