ROCHESTER, NY – Head Coach Rob Grow won his 500th career game, as the RIT baseball team (19-13, 13-5 Liberty League) exploded for 32 runs in a doubleheader sweep over Vassar College (14-24, 7-17 Liberty League) from Monroe Community College on Sunday afternoon. RIT took game one, 13-7 and won game two, 19-14.
Grow, who also played for the Tigers from 1985-88, is 500-462 in 27 seasons as head coach. In 2017, Grow led the Tigers to 33 wins and their first NCAA Tournament Appearance. He was inducted into the RIT Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
RIT set a single-game team record with 27 hits in game two and broke a school record by scoring 56 runs in a four-game series. In addition, RIT has now won seven straight games and moved into first place in the Liberty League standings with a 13-5 mark.
"It's been great to be a part of the (RIT baseball) program for so long," said Grow, who has led RIT to 10 seasons of at least 20 wins since 1999. "RIT is home and we have developed a great baseball family over the years. The 500 wins is a byproduct of having a lot of great players and coaches over the years."
In game one, RIT jumped out to a 4-0 lead on the strength of three Vassar errors, before the Brewers came back with five runs to go up 5-4 after three innings. RIT would take control with four runs in the fourth inning, two in the fifth and three more in the sixth to pull away.
Daniel Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) led the offensive attack with a long three-run home run in the top of the fourth inning en route to five RBI. Navada Waterman (Coudersport, PA/Coudersport) was 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Kyle Watson (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and Ian Libby (Melrose, MA/Malden Catholic) scored three runs apiece and Kyle Terzini (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) scored twice. RIT's 1-2 hitters combined for eight RBI, while the 7-8-9 hitters scored eight runs.
Daniel Zeglen (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) picked up his second win of the season for RIT, throwing six innings. Trevor Povlock (Fairport, NY/Fairport) pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
Evan Trausch had three hits for the Brewers, while Matt Schwartz drove in three runs.
In game two, RIT was held scoreless over the first three innings and trailed 4-1 after four before exploding for six runs in the top of the fifth inning and a season-best total of nine runs in the top of the seventh inning. RIT's 27 hits smashed the previous record of 24, set on two different occasions. The Tigers hit seven doubles, a triple and home run.
Seven different Tigers had at least three hits in game two. Patrick Mylott (Aurora, OH/Western Reserve Academy) reached base five times, going 4-for-6 with a walk, three runs scored and a pair of RBI. Waterman also added four hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Zeglen went 3-for-5 with a long home run and four RBI, while Joey Mylott (Aurora, OH/Western Reserve Academy) was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI. Patrick Blackall (Hershey, PA/Hershey) scored four runs and added three hits, while Jason Schulz (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and Luke McNamara (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin) had three knocks. Terzini drove in three runs.
Collin Reformat (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) earned his third win of the season on the mound, allowing three hits and four runs, while striking out four batters in five innings.
Connor Levchuck went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer, four runs scored and four RBI, while Taylor Smach also homered for the Brewers in game two.
The Tigers now lead the all-time series between the two schools, 16-11 and have won eight straight over the Brewers.
RIT is right back in action with its final home game of the 2019 regular season at 4 p.m. on Tuesday versus The College at Brockport.