POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Senior Jake Nichols threw the 13th no-hitter in school history and the second in eight days to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of Vassar College, on the final day of the regular season, Sunday at Prentiss Field. Nichols pitched the Engineers (6-8; 6-8 Liberty League) to a 4-0 win in Game 1, before they held on for an 11-8 victory in Game 2.
Nichols (1-2) allowed only three baserunners, hitting two and walking one, while striking out a career-high seven over 7.0 innings to earn his first collegiate victory. His no-hitter comes just over a week after classmate Ryan Yerby stymied Ithaca College last Saturday. Nichols' previous longest outing came on March 29, 2019, when he took a no-decision against Clarkson in a 7-6 RPI victory.
RPI broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth, when senior Peter Close drove an opposite field single to right, plating sophomore Martin Marintchev. Later in the inning, sophomore Ben Koomey lifted a base hit to center, bringing home senior Hudson Livesey for a 2-0 lead.
The Engineers added two more runs in the fifth, as Livesey brought home Marintchev and fellow senior Richard Drum with a double to left.
Nichols allowed only one baserunner after the second inning, issuing a sixth-inning base on balls to Vassar lead-off man Jaden Millstein.
Game 2 saw the Engineers hold off a late Vassar rally to take home the Sunday sweep. Koomey (1-1) turned in a quality start on the hill, giving up three runs on nine hits over 7.0 innings, with six strikeouts and no walks. Logan Willans (2-2) suffered the defeat, giving up four runs (3 earned) over 4.0 innings.
Following a scoreless opening three innings, senior Jake Defayette led off the top of the fourth with a home run to right. After a groundout, classmate Joe Curci was hit by a pitch, setting up a two-run home run off the bat of Marintchev. Close then came home on a double-steal, making it a four-run frame.
A fielder's choice allowed a fifth RPI run to come across in the fifth, before the Engineers tallied two more in the top of the sixth for a 7-0 advantage. Cameron Skudin got the hosts on the board in the bottom of the sixth, reaching on an infield hit that brought home Gunnar Wildercrantz. Andrew Kanellis then brought Vassar to within 7-2 with a base hit to right.
Senior Jimmy Jankowski answered with a two-run single in the top of the seventh for a 9-2 advantage, before Elliot Layne fired back with an RBI-groundout in the bottom half.
Close lifted a sac fly to center in the eighth, with sophomore Joey Saia giving the visitors an 11-3 cushion on a single to left that brought home Curci.
Vassar clawed back to within 11-5 with a two-run bottom of the eighth. Then in the ninth, Millstein cleared the bases with a triple, before RPI senior righthander Thomas Neuman came on to record the final out of the game.