After another impressive week the Rensselaer baseball team sits at 14-1, 6-0 in the Liberty League. In the most recent poll they are ranked 15th in the nation. Once again the offense hammered the ball, pounding out 36 runs in just three games and piling up 21 extra-base hits over the week.
The first game of the week featured an out-of-conference opponent in Plattsburg State. The Cardinals came to Robison Field on Wednesday and proceeded to allow four first-inning runs to the Red Hawks, including home runs from three different lefties. Junior Jim Devine homered as the second batter of the inning, followed by a homer two batters later from sophomore Pat Reardon. Two batters after that, sophomore Andrew Krushelnyski hit one out as well, finishing the lefty bash that was the first inning. Plattsburg countered in the third getting to the Rensselaer starter for six runs. Facing a rare deficit, RPI scored in each of the last six innings, including five in the fifth to put the game out of sight. The game became a 17-8 final.
Leading the offense in this game was Reardon, who hit two HRs and drove in five runs. Senior Ken Carroll picked the win in long relief pitching five and a third innings and allowing only one earned run and three hits. The win was his second of the year.
The weekend’s inclement weather postponed Saturday’s double header with Vassar College. The snow that poured onto Troy Friday night wreaked havoc with the schedule but the second scheduled double was able to be played Sunday at Vassar college. RPI again charged on, sweeping the Brewers 8-2 and 11-7, respectively.
Game one featured Red Hawk ace senior Joe Zongol, who provided another solid performance with a seven-inning complete game. He allowed only four singles, one of which earned a run, and struck out nine on the way to his third win of the season, dropping his ERA to a mere 0.66.
Game two proved to be a closer affair but the Red Hawks came out on top again, winning 11-7. Junior centerfielder Sean Wilkes paced the offense going 3-3 in the first three innings and Reardon drove in four with two doubles as RPI jumped out to an 8-0 lead after six innings and never looked back. Vassar came back with six runs combined in the sixth and seventh innings but that proved not to be enough.
The baseball team is back in action again this week starting Wednesday with a make-up double header against the Vassar College Brewers at Robison Field. They then have a rare week-long break and don’t hit the diamond again until April 8 against non-conference opponent Old Westbury.
