POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The University of Rochester baseball team stretched its conference win streak to ten straight games following a doubleheader sweep of Vassar College on Sunday afternoon at Prentiss Field.
UR earned a 5-2 victory in game one and rallied for a 4-3 nightcap win, completing a perfect 4-0 weekend on the diamond against Liberty League Eastern Division foes. On Saturday, Rochester topped East Division leading Skidmore twice, and now controls its own destiny in its quest for a Liberty League regular season title.
This weekend served as the one inter-divisional weekend on the Liberty League slate, as these games will factor in the overall standings for the conference amongst teams who qualify for the league tournament, but not divisional seeding heading into the Liberty League Crossover weekend.
The two wins on Sunday push Rochester's record to 19-10 overall and 11-2 in the Liberty League. Vassar falls to 16-12 overall and 3-6 in the conference.
GAME 1:
Rochester 5, Vassar 2
Rochester used a big four-run seventh inning to break open a 1-1 game late in the opener to power to the teams ninth straight league win and third straight overall.
Colby Cruser was stellar on the mound for the Yellowjackets, allowing just one hit over five innings while striking out eight batters and issuing no walks. Justin Grossman relieved and allowed both of Vassar's runs, but earned the victory after his 1.2 innings of work.
Closing out the game, UR turned to Jason Cobert for two outs, Thomas Karpishin for two outs and Mark Aaronson earned the save, his seventh of the season.
Joseph Rende led the offense with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, adding a double, two RBI and a run scored. Aaron Whitley scored a pair of runs and went 2-for-3, while Colton Avera also added a multi-hit effort.
Cruser started out strong, striking out two batters in each of the first two frames, but fellow starter Michael Came went toe-to-toe with the UR lefty, putting up zeros as well.
In the fourth, Vassar finally got its first hit of the game, but the runner was stranded at second after Cruser struck out the side.
Rochester broke the ice in the top of the sixth when Rende singled to right following a Whitley 1-out triple. Avera followed with a double and Jackson Reed was intentionally walked to load the bases. Vassar reliever Bryce Grahwohl wiggled out of the jam though, getting a strike out and pop out to strand the runners on base.
Vassar leveled the score in the sixth thanks to a 2-out RBI double from Andrew Kanellis, scoring Ricardo Reyna who reached on a UR fielding error.
UR's big seventh inning started with a Dan Tirabassi triple to center. Jack Corcoran walked and was out on a fielders choice allowing Josh Leadem to reach. Leadem promptly stole second and came around to score when the throw sailed into the outfield, putting the Yellowjackets up 3-1.
Shortly after, Whitley was hit by a pitch and Rende doubled him in. Avera followed with an RBI single to plate Rende and Rochester increased its lead to four.
Vassar chipped away with a single run on a Ezra Caspi sacrifice fly in the seventh.
In the eighth, back-to-back walks and an infield single put the tying runners on base, but Karpishin ended the threat getting a fly out to left.
Aaronson pitched around a UR error in the ninth and needed just nine pitches to lock down the victory.
Game 2:
Rochester 4, Vassar 3
Hits proved to be scarce in the nightcap as the two ball clubs combined for just seven hits, but used a couple errors and eight walks to score the seven runs.
Rochester had to rally after Vassar took the early lead with two runs in the second, edging ahead thanks to a 3-run top of the fourth inning.
UR's pitching, especially the bullpen proved to be a difference maker for the victors, as three relievers combined to allow just one hit and face one over the minimum over the final three innings. Matt Caserio, Thomas Blaydes and Aaronson all were nearly perfect out of the pen and preserved a win for starter Sammy Rosenfied.
Rosenfield surrendered three runs and three hits over four innings while striking out five. The win moves his record to 3-1 on the season. Casiero was first in relief and struck out one and allowed one hit in the fifth. Blaydes pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning with a pair of strikeouts, while Aaronson recorded his second save of the day with a perfect seventh inning.
Vassar struck for the early lead, plating two runs in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Rosenfield plunked a batter and allowed a single to see two runners on. After a fly out, three straight Brewer hitters worked walks, with Birch Herring-Jackson and Jaden Millstein notching RBI's with the bases loaded. The UR started minimized the damage though, getting Kanellis to strike out swinning.
Rochester halved the lead in the top of the third when Avera laced a double to left center, scoring Whitley who reached via walk.
Vassar got that run right back in the bottom half of the inning though, with Jensen Bergman tripling to right, scoring Reid Lapekas.
In the fourth, John Moses led off with a walk. After a fly out, a throwing error by Vassar put the tying runs on base. Casey Press followed by drawing a walk to load the bases.
Jackson Reed then reached on a fielders choice, scoring Moses, with Whitley providing an RBI single to tie the score. With runners at the corners, the Brewers attempted to pickoff Whitley at first, but the throw got away and allowed UR's Reed to scamper home, giving Rochester the lead.
Rosenfield sat down the Brewers in order during the fourth and the bullpen took over from there, preserving the win.
This upcoming week, Rochester plays a non-conference rematch against SUNY Brockport on Tuesday afternoon before hitting the road again for a three-game series at Liberty League foe St. Lawrence next weekend.