PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester of Rochester baseball team captured a series win after earning a doubleheader split with visiting St. Lawrence University on Tuesday afternoon at Towers Field.
St. Lawrence won game one 10-8 before Rochester closed the series with a 12-8 game two victory. Rochester's record now stands at 7-10 overall and 2-1 in the Liberty League, while St. Lawrence sits at 6-7 on the year and 1-2 in the conference.
Monday's and Tuesday's games were a rescheduled series from this past weekend, as snow in the Rochester area forced the contests to move back a few days.
The Yellowjackets return to action with another weekend series coming up against Liberty League foe Hobart College on Friday and Saturday. UR hosts the Statesmen on Friday evening before heading to Geneva for a pair on Saturday afternoon.
Game 1: St. Lawrence 10, Rochester 8
The Saints jumped out to a big early lead, going in front 6-0 after three innings and made it stand up in the later innings to earn their first win over Rochester since 2019.
The first batter of the game, Jackson Brinker, was able to launch a solo shot on the second pitch from UR starter Dillon Bevan to start the scoring in the opener.
In the third, SLU batted around, scoring five runs, with Sean Desjardins providing the big hit, knocking a bases clearing triple to right, driving in three.
Rochester started to come back in the fourth, getting a sacrifice fly from Dylan Stezzi to score Colby Cruser for the opening run. A few batters later with runners on the corners, St. Lawrence tried a pickoff throw to first, with Josh Leadem taking off on the first move, stealing home to make the score 6-2.
After a quick inning from Rochester reliever Magnus Sivertson in the fifth, the 'Jackets pushed three more runs across in their half to trim the lead to one. A ground out from Cruser plated a run and another failed pickoff attempt with runners on the corners allowed Alec Ellison to score. Quincy Jaksch added a sacrifice fly to drive in Leadem.
The Saints answered back in the top of the next inning adding two runs to their total. Three walks loaded the bases and an infield single from Brett Federico drove in a run. After a pop out to shallow left, a wild pitch allowed another insurance run to come home.
UR's Ellison launched a triple to right center in the bottom of the sixth to score Jackson Reed, moving the score to 8-6 in favor of the visitors.
After SLU picked up a single tally in the eighth, catcher John Donnellan clubbed his third home run of the series, a solo shot in the ninth to make the score 10-6 Saints.
The Yellowjackets attempted a bottom of the ninth inning rally with back-to-back solo home runs off the bat of Stezzi and Jaksch, but a key SLU double play thwarted the rally, sealing the win for the Saints.
Stezzi finished 2-for-2 with 2 RBI, a run scored and a walk. Leadem added 2 hits, 2 runs and 3 stolen bases while Ellison finished 2-for-5, with both hits going for extra bases.
On the mound, Bevan took the loss allowing six runs (one earned) across three innings. He walked three and struck out two. Sivertson, Zach Herzog, Sammy Rosenfield and Thomas Blaydes finished off the game pitching for Rochester.
Game 2: Rochester 12, St. Lawrence 8
Rochester clubbed three home runs in the series finale, one each from Ellison, Jaksch and Henry Jamieson to power past the Saints, earning the series win.
After St. Lawrence got on the board first with a Donnellan double to left, the Yellowjackets answered back in the bottom of the second with two runs to take their first lead of the game. Jaksch traded places with Stezzi at second base to score the opening run and two batters later, Luke Gregory lifted a sacrifice fly to left for the 2-1 advantage.
St. Lawrence's Timothy Connor singled in a run to knot the game at 2-2, but a pair of big flies in the UR half of the third inning put Rochester in front for good.
Ellison cleared the scoreboard in left with his first home run of the season, driving in three and two batters later, Jaksch hit his second of the day to add two more runs to the total, making the Rochester lead 7-2.
The teams traded runs in the fourth, with St. Lawrence getting back within four following a bases loaded walk in the fifth inning.
Sammy Besztery doubled to left in the sixth to drive in Luke Gregory and in the next inning, Jamieson's home run to left center made the score 10-4. A Saints throwing error added to the lead later on in the frame.
In the eighth, pinch hitter Dan Tirabassi made the score 12-4 before the Saints mounted a comeback attempt in the ninth, getting four runs across.
Junior Mark Aaronson pitched well in earning the victory, striking out six hitters over four scoreless innings of relief. He allowed four hits and two walks in his outing which moved his season record to 3-0.
UR's Cruser was the starter in game two and went four innings, surrendering 5 hits, 4 runs (3 earned) and 3 walks while striking out 7.
At the plate, Jaksch's two home runs allowed him to finish 2-for-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBI. Besztery ended 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored while Leadem reached base four times, including drawing three walks. He added two more stolen bases to his career total, boosting that number to 72 in his time at UR, third most all-time.