RPI athletics photo

TROY, N.Y. – Senior righthander Ryan Yerby threw a no-htter against Ithaca College on Saturday afternoon, leading the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball to a 4-0 victory in Game 1 of a doubleheader. The Engineers, who dropped Game 2, 6-3, are now 2-6 on the season (2-6 Liberty League), while Bombers move to 15-9-1 (10-3-1 Liberty League).

Yerby (Montara, CA/Half Moon Bay) struck out five and walked four, while throwing 89 pitches in RPI's first no-hitter since Ryan Washburn '10 shut down Skidmore, 2-0, on May 9, 2010. Yerby set the Bombers down in order four times, including each of the last three innings to secure the historic victory. Ithaca's best bid for a hit came in the top of the fourth inning, when sophomore Gil Merod (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) hit a fly ball towards the right field corner that RPI senior Jake Defayette (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) caught on the dive.

Offensively, senior Richard Drum (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) got the scoring started with a single to left in the top of the first, plating Defayette from third, after he had reached on an error and advanced to third on a wild pitch.

A ground rule double off the bat of senior Joe Curci (Chicago, IL/University of Chicago High School) doubled the RPI lead in bottom of the third. His team-leading fourth double of the season made it a 2-0 game.

Senior Jack Vaccari (Hopkinton, MA/Hopkinton) add a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, after Drum was walked to load the bases with one out. Vaccari drove the first pitch he saw from Bombers starter Nate Scott (New Providence, RI/New Providence) into the right field corner for a two-run double – his second on the season.

Yerby threw just five pitches in the seventh, inducing a come backer to the mound for the game's final out.

In Game 2, the Bombers broke open a scoreless game in the top of the sixth, scoring twice on two hits. Sophomore Mike Nauta (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, before stealing second and advancing to third on a base hit by freshman Louis Fabbo (Hewitt, NJ/Waldwick). Senior Garrett Callaghan (Franklin Park, NJ/Franklin) doubled home Nauta, before Buzz Shirley (Candor, NY/Ithaca) plated a second run on a sacrifice fly.

The Bombers tacked on two more in the top of the seventh, before the Engineers answered with a three-run bottom half, highlighted by a two-run double to right center by Drum. A Vaccari sac fly brought the hosts to within 4-3.

Ithaca came right back with a two-run eighth to regain some breathing room. Freshman Ethan Rothstein (Demarest, NJ/Northern Valley Demarest) reached on an infield single to score one, with Shirley coming home on a wild pitch to complete the scoring.

Freshman Dom Trippi (Naples, NY/Honeoye) earned the victory in relief for Ithaca, allowing three runs on two hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out four and walked one. Sophomore Garrett Bell (Lansing, NY/Lansing) picked up his second save of the season, throwing 2.0 perfect innings to close out the game.

RPI senior lefthander Chris Grome (Framingham, MA/Dexter Southfield School) was the tough luck loser on the day, giving up two runs on three hits over 6.0 innings. He had four strikeouts and did not walk a batter. Classmate Thomas Neuman (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Westminster) was the Engineers' most effective reliever, tossing a scoreless ninth, with one strikeout.