Engineers poach Tiger win in seventh inning rally

The Engineers rallied after giving up three home runs in the first three innings to SUNY Cobleskill’s baseball team on Friday, cruising to an 11-8 win. An intense seventh inning, which included a home run for Ian Oehlschlaeger, propelled Rensselaer past their opponents and cemented their lead. This was in spite of a strong Cobleskill opening, with Logan Firment hitting two home runs before the end of the third.

The Engineers came to play at the plate, netting 10 hits in the game. Oehlschlaeger had a commanding presence in the batter’s box, going 2-for-2 at the plate while also knocking in a team high of three RBIs. Matt Chotiner and Michael Lebenson also put up two hits each, with Chotiner recording a double in the bottom of the seventh. Carson Lapp put up a triple off a hard drive to center field in the seventh as well, posting two more RBIs for himself. In total, the Engineers amassed 5 runs through the seventh, taking the lead for the rest of the game.

Rensselaer relied on an intelligent offense to amass runs, getting outhit by the Tigers in the game. They stole 7 bases in total, with leadoff hitter Aaron Hicks stealing 3. This set them up for several key plays throughout the game, a run that came from Hicks stealing second and third base back-to-back.

Andrew Gaughan was the winning pitcher for the Engineers, stepping in in the sixth with a tie score. The right-hander held the Tigers to just 2 hits in four innings, allowing Rensselaer the opportunity to pull ahead in the final three innings.

After winning two more on Saturday, the Engineers stand at a 14-6 record for the season. Their next home game will be against Skidmore College on Saturday, April 5. Click here for the box score.