KANNAPOLIS, NC – In its final tilt at the D3 Showcase in North Carolina, the University of Rochester baseball team fell by a 4-0 score at the hands of Berry College on Sunday morning at Atrium Health Ballpark.
Rochester closes its opening weekend with a solid 2-1 record, while the Vikings, already a couple weeks into their season, move to 7-2 on the year.
Hits were few and far between on Sunday, as the teams combined for just 12 base knocks on the day. Berry's Levi Cloud provided two hits and drove in three runs for the Vikings, including clobbering a 2-run home run in the third inning.
UR's leading hitters on the day were Jackson Reed, Alec Ellison and Ethan Jaquette, all who wrapped up the game 2-for-4. Reed added two stolen bases, while Jaquette had one.
On the mound, the Yellowjackets Dillon Bevan got the start and went four innings. He took the loss, surrendering three runs on six hits while striking out two.
Relief pitcher Matthew Grier did not allow a hit during his three innings on the bump and finished with three strikeouts, allowing just one run thanks to a couple hit batters and a wild pitch. Thomas Blaydes finished off the final inning with a 1-2-3 frame for UR.
Berry's starter was Jackson Collett who tossed five innings of two-hit ball. He struck out two in the victory, his second of the 2024 season. Brady Greene, Cole Porter and Mason Snyder finished off the shutout for the Vikings.
In the first inning, Berry was able to score the opening run when Cloud singled to right, plating teammate Nick Brunswick who reached on a single. Bevan limited the damage to just one run though, getting a ground out to strand two runners on.
Berry's lead increased in the third with Cloud again producing the big hit, clearing the left field fence to drive in Brunswick and himself, putting the Vikings up 3-0.
UR looked to get on the board in the top of the fourth after Reed led off with a single and stole second. He eventually got over to third on a wild pitch, but was left there as Collett struck out a Rochester batter for the final out.
The same thing happened in the fifth, as Jaquette reached on a terrific bunt single down the first base line. After stealing second, he moved to third on a ground out, but was left there following another UR strikeout.
Berry completed the scoring in the fifth against Grier. Two hit batters led off the inning, and after a sacrifice bunt, Joey Garcia was able to scamper home on a wild pitch.
Rochester's biggest offensive threat came in the seventh inning. Ellison led off with a bloop single to right. After a hard line out to left by Quincy Jaksch, Jaquette laced a base hit to right to put two runners on with one out. On the mound, Green settled in and got a strikeout and fly out to end the inning, keeping UR at zero runs.
Rochester returns home for a couple weeks of practice before returning to North Carolina in early March for its spring break trip. UR will next play at the Triad Invitational Tournament in Greensboro from March 8-10 before playing four games against William Peace University on March 12-13.