POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 12, 2014) – The Vassar College baseball team responded after falling 7-1 in the first game to the No. 4 Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland by earning a 11-9 non-conference win over Cortland in the second game of the day. Cortland, at No. 4 in the country, is the highest-ranked team that Vassar has knocked off in program history. Coming into the contest, the Red Dragons had won nine of its last 10 games.

Game 1: No. 4 Cortland 7, Vassar 1: W, Komenecky (1-1) – L, Lovizio (1-3)
The Cortland pitching staff held Vassar College to just three hits in the opening game of the day, pulling away for the 7-1 victory. As has been the case all season for Vassar College, it got on the board early, as freshman Brad Kendall (Redlands, CA/Redlands) singled to start the rally. Junior Kyle Casey (San Diego, CA/Vista) and Brett Zaziski (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) both walked, and Nick Johnson (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius) posted a RBI groundout to take a 1-0 lead.

Cortland took the lead with three runs in the third inning, capped by a run-scoring double by Anthony Iacomini. The Dragons added another tally in the sixth inning, benefitting from two Vassar errors, and tacked on one in the seventh and two in the eighth to give them their final margin of victory.

Kendall scored Vassar's lone run of the contest to go with a single, while Brooks English (Milton, MA/Milton Academy) had a single and walked twice. Senior left fielder Parker Werline (Newport Beach, CA/Corona Del Mar) had a hit as well, and Zaziski walked twice on the afternoon. Vassar starter Joe Lovizio (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) allowed four earned runs, fanned four and scattered seven hits in seven innings of work.

Senior Dave Robbins (Rumson, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven) tossed an inning of relief, giving up one earned run and one hit, and Jonathan Hong (Orinda, CA/Miramar) threw four pitches and recorded three outs, getting a ground ball double play.
Iacomini had two hits and two RBI for Cortland, and Vinny Bomasuto had a double, RBI and run scored. Steve Komanecky got the victory for the Red Dragons, going three innings in relief, striking out four while allowing just one hit.

Game 2: Vassar 11, No. 4 Cortland 9: W, Berg (3-0) – L, Kimmelman (0-2) – S, Cucalon (2)
Vassar (8-6) used a nine-run third inning to get past SUNY Cortland, in what could be one of the biggest wins in program history. Four Brewer batters had multiple hits, and all but one starter for Vassar reached base safely during the second game of the day.

The Brewers opened the scoring in the first inning for the second consecutive game, and have now pushed across a run in their first at-bat in eight games this season. In that frame, Kendall came home with the bases loaded thanks to a passed ball.

The hosts would explode for nine runs in the third inning to take a 10-run lead, as Vassar sent 15 batters to the plate in the frame. Vassar had five hits in the inning, highlighted by a Casey two-run single, but also earned four free passes in the inning. Zaziski doubled in a score, Robbins roped a single that scored a run, and three players drew bases-loaded walks.

The Red Dragons would not lie down though, responding with eight runs in the top of the fourth. Michael DeCarr drove in two with a triple to left and Nick Hart added two RBI on a single to right field. Freshman Trent Berg (Milton, MA/Boston College) came on to put out the fire, as VC escaped still up 10-8.

Cortland (20-6) sliced Vassar's two-run lead in half in the top of the fifth, but Berg was able to strand three runners on base as Iacomini flew out to right field. After Berg sat down the Dragons in order in the top half of the sixth, Vassar added an insurance run as Jason Garfinkel (Encino, CA/Harvard-Westlake) singled with one out. Garfinkel went to second on a single by Robbins, and then stole third. He would score on a sacrifice fly by freshman Denis Shanagher (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius) on the next at-bat.

Sophomore Connor Cucalon (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius) came on in the seventh and got the save, allowing one hit but no more. Berg worked 2.2 innings, surrendering just one earned run and two hits, fanning five in earning his third win of the year.

Kendall had two more hits; scoring three runs along with picking up an RBI, while Garfinkel was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Casey finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Robbins added two hits, a run and an RBI. All but one player for Vassar crossed home, and English has now reached safely in all 14 games this year.

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The Brewers are back in action this Tuesday afternoon, hosting St. Lawrence University at 1 p.m. on Prentiss Field in a Liberty League doubleheader.