ROCHESTER, NY (April 18, 2018) – The Vassar College baseball team responded from a 20-1 defeat in game one to explode offensively with four homers and 14 runs to split a Liberty League doubleheader at the University of Rochester with a 14-5 victory in game two in action from Towers Field.
 
Game 1 – Rochester 20, Vassar 1
The host Yellowjackets busted out in the opening game of the doubleheader with 20 runs on 20 hits, homering four times, highlighted by an 11-run third inning to earn the win.
 
Rochester scored two in the bottom of the first on a homer by Jack Herman, and then added one more in the second and 11 in the third to put the game out of reach. Vassar got on the board in the top of the seventh inning, as sophomore Robert Pinataro walked with two outs. Freshman Cameron Skudin singled, and sophomore Connor Levchuck doubled in Pinataro for VC's lone run.
 
Levchuck was 2-for-2 off the bench for the Brewers in the opening game, while freshmen Tanner Blough and Jason Salerno were each 1-for-2. Luke Meyerson (3-1) got the win for the Yellowjackets, allowing just one hit over five innings while striking out six Brewer hitters. All nine starters had at least one hit for Rochester, led by the 3-for-4, four RBI, two run game by Tyler Schmidt.
 
"Game one was like a bad dream," said head coach Matt Righter. "I'm not sure I've lost a game that badly in any sport on any team I've been a part of.  We looked asleep and Rochester was on fire. It was a bad combination and we deserved to lose by 20. To be honest, I was a little concerned with how we would respond because it may dictate how the rest of our season would go."
 
Game 2 – Vassar 14, Rochester 5
The Brewers turned the tables on the 'Jackets in the nightcap, as Vassar busted the game open with nine runs in the second inning while homering four times to earn the split. The four homeruns for the game tied the program record for big flies in a game, tying the April 28, 2010 game at New Paltz.
 
The four home run game wasn't the only milestone set when it came to the long ball for Vassar Wednesday. During the nine-run second inning, senior Bobby Kinne touched off his second grand slam of the season on a 3-0 pitch, posting his sixth homer of the season. The sixth homer of the year set a single-season mark, passing both Brett Zaziski (2014) and Brett Lampiasi (2002) with five.
 
Two pitches later, freshman Elliott Layne hit his first home run of his career, marking the third time in program history that VC has seen batters go back-to-back. The last time was in 2012 against Union College, as Mike Perrone and Zaziski homered for the Brewers. The only other time VC has seen consecutive homers was back on March 16, 2003, as Chris Shukie and Tim Shea accomplished the feat at Stevens.
 
In all during the second inning, Vassar posted nine hits and nine runs, second 13 batters to the plate. The Brewers extended their lead to 10 in the top of the fourth inning, as Evan Trausch touched off his first of two homers on the contest, slamming a 1-0 pitch out to center field.
 
Rochester came back with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, but VC answered right back with three of its own, as the rally was started by the second home run of the afternoon by Trausch. The two-homer game was only the second since 2000, matching Cory Wuenschell's output against Franklin & Marshall during the 2014 season.
 
That was plenty of offense for the Brewers, as Vassar rolled to the important Liberty League win. Freshman Logan Willans (2-0) got the win in his first collegiate start, scattering 10 hits over six innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out three. Junior Alex Hartnett worked a scoreless seventh inning for Vassar as well.
 
Offensively, Trausch finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored, while Kinne was 2-for-4 with five RBI and a walk. Salerno was 2-for-5 with a run and RBI, and juniors Bryan Rubin and Jake Doyle were each 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. All nine starters had at least one hit in game two for Vassar, posting six extra-base hits.
 
Schmidt was 2-for-3 for Rochester (7-11, 7-3 Liberty League) in game two.
 
"Fortunately, we had a big time start from freshmen pitcher Logan Willans. Our captain Bobby kinne also came up clutch again with a huge grand slam showing why he's one of if not the top player in the league," said Righter. "He's honestly carried this team at times and we are so fortunate to have him."
 
"After that hit our other guys really started to feed off of his energy and take it to the next level. With the way we responded to that first game, this may be the proudest I have been of this team and I'm excited to see how we continue from here. My expectations are extremely high for this club."
 
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Vassar (12-11, 8-6 Liberty League) will now have a weekend out of conference play, heading to Bethlehem, PA for a non-conference doubleheader with Moravian College Saturday at 1 p.m. The next day, Vassar will host Lehman College April 22 at 1 p.m. for another out-of-league twin bill on Prentiss Field.