Saratoga Springs, NY – Junior Colby Brouillette homered three times and drove in 13 runs to help lead the Clarkson University Baseball team to a sweep of Skidmore College in the Liberty League Crossover series, 16-6 and 12-6.
The Golden Knights, fourth in the West Division, improved to 11-17 overall while the Thoroughbreds, first in the East Division, fell to 23-12-2. Clarkson advances to the Liberty League Championship Tournament next weekend.
Clarkson's bats were busy in the opener as the Knights put up big innings in the latter half of the contest, posting five runs in the fifth and three runs in both the eighth and ninth innings for the 16-6 victory. Game two saw Clarkson trail for much of the contest, but an eight-run sixth put the Knights up for good.
In the first game, Clarkson scored once in the opening frame on an error and then again in the third on a solo home run by Caleb Doyle. Kyle Locklear kept Skidmore's offense quiet with just one hit in the first four innings, and the Knights would make sure he would come away with a win when they tallied five in the top of the fifth. The first run came around on a Skidmore error, but Kent Wilson singled in two with a single up the middle to make it 5-0. Brouillette then doubled in another run and a Mike Nee sacrifice fly gave Clarkson its seventh run.
In the sixth, Wilson and Brouillette had back-to-back run-scoring hits to put the tally at 9-0, and the game was truly blown open in the final two innings. Brouillette hit a three-run shot to center in the eighth and then delivered another three-run bomb to right to give Clarkson a 16-0 advantage. Skidmore would score six in the bottom of the ninth, but it was far too little to put any real pressure on the Knights.
Brouillette finished the first game going 4-for-6 with two runs scored and nine RBI, the most by any player in a single game during the Jim Kane era for the Knights. Kent Wilson was 3-for-6 with three runs scored and three more driven in, and Caleb Doyle was 2-for-3 and scored five times. Locklear earned the win by giving up only two hits and four walks in seven scoreless innings, striking out seven along the way.
In game two, Skidmore got a run in the second with a solo homer to open things up, but Mike Nee homered to right-center to tie the game at 1-1 in the fourth. The Thoroughbreds looked like they might earn the split when Jackson Hornung delivered a two-run single in the fifth to make it 4-1, but Clarkson put up eight in the top of the sixth to take the lead for the first time in game two. Tommy Bianchi drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Joe Pagano doubled in a run to cut the margin to one, and Pagano tied the game when he scored a wild pitch. Cam Jerrett then doubled in Jake Millich to give the Knights the lead, but the big blow came later when Brouillette hit a grand slam to right for a 9-4 Clarkson lead.
In the seventh, the Knights tacked on three runs thanks to a Bianchi solo home run and RBI singles from Michael Tito and Caleb Doyle for a 12-4 lead. Horning doubled in a pair for Skidmore in the bottom half of the inning, but that was all the Thoroughbreds would get as the Knights advanced with the sweep.
Nee, Bianchi, Pagano, Tito, and Doyle all had two-hit games, with Nee, Pagano, and Tito also scoring two runs. Brouillette drove in four and also scored twice in the game. Nicholas Hofacker picked up the win, allowing eight hits and a walk over six innings, and Griffin Tubbs tossed the final inning to close out the game.
The Golden Knights, fourth in the West Division, improved to 11-17 overall while the Thoroughbreds, first in the East Division, fell to 23-12-2. Clarkson advances to the Liberty League Championship Tournament next weekend.
Clarkson's bats were busy in the opener as the Knights put up big innings in the latter half of the contest, posting five runs in the fifth and three runs in both the eighth and ninth innings for the 16-6 victory. Game two saw Clarkson trail for much of the contest, but an eight-run sixth put the Knights up for good.
In the first game, Clarkson scored once in the opening frame on an error and then again in the third on a solo home run by Caleb Doyle. Kyle Locklear kept Skidmore's offense quiet with just one hit in the first four innings, and the Knights would make sure he would come away with a win when they tallied five in the top of the fifth. The first run came around on a Skidmore error, but Kent Wilson singled in two with a single up the middle to make it 5-0. Brouillette then doubled in another run and a Mike Nee sacrifice fly gave Clarkson its seventh run.
In the sixth, Wilson and Brouillette had back-to-back run-scoring hits to put the tally at 9-0, and the game was truly blown open in the final two innings. Brouillette hit a three-run shot to center in the eighth and then delivered another three-run bomb to right to give Clarkson a 16-0 advantage. Skidmore would score six in the bottom of the ninth, but it was far too little to put any real pressure on the Knights.
Brouillette finished the first game going 4-for-6 with two runs scored and nine RBI, the most by any player in a single game during the Jim Kane era for the Knights. Kent Wilson was 3-for-6 with three runs scored and three more driven in, and Caleb Doyle was 2-for-3 and scored five times. Locklear earned the win by giving up only two hits and four walks in seven scoreless innings, striking out seven along the way.
In game two, Skidmore got a run in the second with a solo homer to open things up, but Mike Nee homered to right-center to tie the game at 1-1 in the fourth. The Thoroughbreds looked like they might earn the split when Jackson Hornung delivered a two-run single in the fifth to make it 4-1, but Clarkson put up eight in the top of the sixth to take the lead for the first time in game two. Tommy Bianchi drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Joe Pagano doubled in a run to cut the margin to one, and Pagano tied the game when he scored a wild pitch. Cam Jerrett then doubled in Jake Millich to give the Knights the lead, but the big blow came later when Brouillette hit a grand slam to right for a 9-4 Clarkson lead.
In the seventh, the Knights tacked on three runs thanks to a Bianchi solo home run and RBI singles from Michael Tito and Caleb Doyle for a 12-4 lead. Horning doubled in a pair for Skidmore in the bottom half of the inning, but that was all the Thoroughbreds would get as the Knights advanced with the sweep.
Nee, Bianchi, Pagano, Tito, and Doyle all had two-hit games, with Nee, Pagano, and Tito also scoring two runs. Brouillette drove in four and also scored twice in the game. Nicholas Hofacker picked up the win, allowing eight hits and a walk over six innings, and Griffin Tubbs tossed the final inning to close out the game.