SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Two local rivals with campuses just minutes apart in Rochester battled it out over 200 miles away for a spot in the Liberty League Baseball Championship on Friday afternoon, with RIT earning a 12-3 win over the University of Rochester at Skidmore College's Castle Diamond.
The win moves RIT (21-15) into the Liberty League championship round against Ithaca College on Saturday, with the Tigers needing to top the Bombers twice to claim the conference crown.
Rochester (28-14) sees its Liberty League Tournament come to an end before the championship round for the first time since 2017.
The Yellowjacket offense was mostly held in check by RIT starter Jon Opalewski who tossed a complete game, scattering 11 hits while striking out five. He allowed just three earned runs, two of which came in the bottom of the ninth inning on a pinch-hit home run by senior Dylan Stezzi.
RIT took advantage of some Rochester pitching miscues on the mound. Overall, four pitchers combined to walk six batters, hit four others and toss seven wild pitches in the do-or-die game.
Colby Cruser took the loss for the Yellowjackets, surrendering seven runs (six earned) in 4.1 innings of work. He walked three and struck out two while giving up six hits. Matt Casiero and Jason Cobert both struck out three in their relief outings.
RIT took the early lead behind a solo home run from Jarin Moses in the second inning. The next frame, a UR wild pitch plated another run, moving the Tigers in front 2-0.
The big inning for RIT was the fifth, as the Tigers sent 11 batters to the plate, scoring five runs. Chris Reilly had a 2-run single up the middle and Adam Marsh added a sacrifice fly. Another wild pitch plated a fourth run and the rough inning continued as a defensive error allowed an extra run to score, putting RIT ahead 7-0.
Rochester got one run back in the bottom of the fifth on a Jackson Reed infield single, scoring Aaron Whitley.
Reed was one of the offensive bright spots for the Yellowjackets as he finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base. Whitley was 1-for-3 with a run and stolen base, with his run being the 51st of the season for the senior, ranking as the third most all-time in a single-season at Rochester.
After UR got on the board, RIT answered right back with two more runs in the top of the sixth, both coming on a Marsh single to right center.
The lead ballooned to 12-1 in the seventh when another UR error and two more wild pitches plated three additional Tiger runs.
In the ninth, UR's Casey Press reached on a 1-out pinch-hit single before Stezzi stepped up in another pinch-hit role, smacking an opposite field home run, his first long ball of the season, completing the scoring in the game.
Jacob Mazat was the lone other player for Rochester to finish with multiple hits in the game, going 2-for-4 with a double.
The Yellowjackets now will have to wait and see if their body of work this season is enough for them to earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The championship field is being announced on Monday at noon on NCAA.com.