HENRIETTA, NY – University of Rochester baseball clinched the Liberty League regular-season title with its doubleheader split against the Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday at the RIT Baseball Complex. The 'Jackets took game one, 5-2, to earn the No. 1-seed in next weekend's Liberty League Crossover series, before falling just short in game two, 7-6.
Rochester wraps up the regular season at 25-12 (16-3 LL) with the split, with RIT sits at 17-14 (9-7 LL).
GAME ONE: Rochester 5, RIT 2
The 'Jackets got their offense going right from the get-go, scoring three runs on four hits in the top of the first to take the lead. Three-straight singles from Josh Leadem, Aaron Whitley and Joseph Rende loaded the bases for Jackson Reed, who grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Leadem to give UR a 1-0 lead.
John Arnold would retire the next Yellowjacket batter, but up next, John Moses stroked a two-out, two-run single up the middle to plate two more and give the 'Jackets a 3-0 advantage.
On the hill for Rochester, Trevor Van Allen worked around a pair of leadoff singles in the bottom of the first with some help from a 6-4-3 double play, and the Yellowjackets would add to their lead in the second.
Jacob Matzat drew a one-out walk, and Leadem followed with a double to put runners at second and third. Again, Arnold retired the next batter, but Rende's two-run single brought both Matzat and Leadem home to make it a 5-0 UR lead.
The Tigers would get one back in the bottom of the second on Kyle Poorman's RBI single, but Van Allen struck out Charlie Slaymaker looking to strand a baserunner, and then pitched around another leadoff single in the third.
In the bottom of the fourth, RIT again pushed a run across against Van Allen, but again the graduate student worked out of the jam, stranding two to prevent any more damage.
Van Allen then worked a scoreless fifth and sixth before turning things over to Mark Aaronson for the bottom of the seventh. And while the sophomore allowed a two-out walk, Aaronson nailed down the save with a groundout to second, his 11th of the year, to finish off the 5-2 victory and secure the No. 1-seed.
Van Allen (5-1) earned the win, allowing just two runs on 10 hits, striking out three over 6.0 innings pitched. Aaronson earned the save, striking out one over an inning of work, while Arnold (2-2) took the loss for RIT, allowing five runs on nine hits.
Whitley led UR with three hits, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Rende and Moses each drove in a pair, each going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
GAME TWO: RIT 7, Rochester 6
The Yellowjackets would again take an early lead on Rende's RBI single, scoring Whitley following his one-out triple.
Rochester would then add two more in the top of the third, as Matzat reached on an error with the bases loaded, scoring both Whitley and Rende to make it 3-0.
But the Tiger would respond to knot the score up at three-all in the bottom of the third, with Chris Reilly's RBI single getting RIT on the scoreboard before Jarin Moses's two-run blast made it 3-3.
After a few scoreless frames in which both teams left runners on base, the Tigers would take the lead in the bottom of the sixth, plating four runs on three hits, all coming with two outs.
A two-out single and walk brought a call to the bullpen for UR, but Randy Dodig's two-run double made it 5-3 in favor of the Tigers before Ian Libby smacked another two-run blast for RIT to make it a 7-3 lead.
RIT's 7-3 lead would hold till the top of the ninth when Rochester's offense would look to tie or take the lead. Rende and Reed drew one-out hit-by-pitches to bring up Moses, who singled to load the bases for Matzat. The Sherwood, OR native then cleared the bases to cut RIT's lead down to just one, 7-6.
But the 'Jackets would leave Matzat, the game-tying run, on second and the Tigers would hold on for the victory.
Jason Cobert (0-1) took the loss for Rochester, allowing two runs on three hits over 2.2 innings of relief, while Colby Cruser took a no-decision, pitching 3.0 innings and allowing three runs on six hits as he got the start for UR.
Eric Sipling (5-0) earned the win for RIT, allowing three runs on four hits over 4.0 innings pitched.
Whitley again led UR with three hits, going 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored, while Matzat went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI. Rende also scored a pair, going 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI.
Rochester will next host the East Division's No. 4-seed in the Liberty League Crossover Series, beginning on Saturday, May 6 at Towers Field at a time still to be determined.