HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The Keuka College Baseball team split with Penn College, losing the first 5-1 but winning the second 8-7, on Tuesday in a North Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader, played at Houghton College.
Keuka College (17-16, 9-6 NEAC) got three hits on the day from John Rizzo (Auburn, N.Y. / Auburn) and Brooks Vertoske (Horseheads, N.Y. / Horseheads). Dan Bamann (Rochester, N.Y. / Irondequoit) had two hits and two RBIs on the day, as did freshman Pat Flaherty (Lockport, N.Y. / Lockport).
Keuka College 1 vs. Penn College 5
The Wildcats took the early lead over Keuka College. They started the bottom of the first inning with a triple down the right field line. After an RBI single, the Wildcats delivered a double to make it 2-0. Damage was limited as starting pitcher Ryan Caroway (Binghamton, N.Y. / Susquehanna Valley) stranded two runners in scoring position, keeping it at 2-0 Penn College. The Wildcats added a run in their lead in the fifth inning. Keuka College broke through in the sixth. Dakota Skinner (Waverly, N.Y. / Tioga) hit an RBI single up the middle to make it 3-1. The Green and Gold threatened in the inning, but they would lead the bases loaded and remain two-runs down. The margin jumped to four as Penn College scored two in the bottom of the sixth on their way to the 5-1 victory.
Lead Wolf: Catcher Kyle Colegrove (Elkland, Pa. / Williamson) was on base all three times for Keuka College. The Junior had a pair of singles and walked for the Wolves. Colegrove has had nine hits over his last four games for Keuka College.
Keuka College 8 vs. Penn College 7
Keuka College struck first in Game 2 as the Wolves strung singles together. An errant throw allowed Keuka to take a 1-0 lead. Later, an RBI single by Pat Flaherty gave the Wolves a 2-0 advantage in the second. Penn College made the most of the opportunities in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs to take a 4-2 lead. Keuka tied it up in the third on a John Rizzo sacrifice fly and an RBI triple by Brooks Vertoske. The Wildcats regained their two-run advantage, but the Wolves tied it back up at 6-6 as a pair of runs were forced in on walks in the fifth inning. The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh inning when Penn College scored a run to take a 7-6 lead. The Wolves quickly responded as Dan Bamann hit a two-run single to give Keuka an 8-7 lead. Dave Verrett (Cicero, N.Y. / Cicero-North Syracuse) entered in the eighth to get the final two outs. He then struck out the side in the ninth for his sixth save of the season as Keuka College defeated Penn Collge 8-7.
Lead Wolf: Freshman Brooks Vertoske set a new career-high with three hits in the game against the Wildcats. He had two singles and a triple for the Wolves. Vertoske also made an impact defensively as he turned a pair of double plays for the Green and Gold.
KC Notes:
- Tuesday was just the second doubleheader between Keuka College and Penn College since the Wildcats joined the NEAC in 2015. Like today, they split their previous meeting
- In his first game of his career at catcher, Dan Bamann threw out a runner attempting to steal second in the third inning of Game 2
- Dakota Skinner wrapped up the regular season with a conference-leading .460 batting average
Coming up for Keuka College: The Wolves will now prepare of the 2017 North Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament. It will be Keuka's first trip to the conference tournament since the 2014 season. Seeds and pairings will be announced by the conference on Wednesday morning.