Engineers remain on top after split with Yellowjackets

The Rensselaer Engineers and the Rochester Yellowjackets both put up solid at bats on Saturday, with RPI taking a win before falling to a consistent performance across Rochester’s lineup.

The first game got off to a slow start, with no runs scored until the top of the third inning. Rochester then put two on the board, scoring off of a double from Riley Laygo and a single from Hannah Keiper. RPI failed to respond in the bottom half of the inning despite putting three people on base but held the Yellowjackets at two runs for the rest of the game. They made up the distance in the bottom of the fifth, scoring one run off of a fielder’s choice and two off of a single from Alex Ledger. RPI scored again in the bottom of the sixth off of a fielding error, bringing the final score of the first game to 4-2. Click here for the box score.

After the break, Rochester’s offense came back with a vengeance. The team racked up ten hits as opposed to the first game’s five, with Jenna Gorecki going 4 for 4 at the plate. In the top of the third, the Yellowjackets put three runs on the board, scoring off of a double from Keiper, a sacrifice fly from Bailey Nicholoff, and a single from Lauren Keys. They scored again in the top of the fourth off a fielder’s choice and a single from Jenna Gorecki, and once more in the sixth off a single from Gorecki. A spot of hope for the Engineers was a grand slam from Ledger in the bottom of the sixth. This gave the Engineers their first runs of the game and brought the score to 6-4. Despite this, no more runs were scored in the game, giving Rochester the win. Click here for the box score.

After this faceoff between the No. 1 and 2. teams in the Liberty League, both RPI and Rochester boast an 8-2 record in conference games. With the season coming to a close soon, the bid for the top spot in the league remains contentious, depending on RPI and Rochester’s performances in the final few league games.