ROCHESTER, NY – The University of Rochester baseball team scored double-digit runs for the fourth time in the last five games, powering past Hobart College 14-7 in a Liberty League matchup on Friday evening at UR's Towers Field.
Rochester (8-10, 3-1 Liberty League) completes its home-opening 6-game homestand with the victory, going 4-2 over those six contests. Hobart falls to 5-10 on the season and is 0-3 in Liberty League play.
On Friday, UR needed to rally as the visiting Statesmen jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after one and a half innings. In the first, Hobart's Nate Johnson provided an RBI hit, while a key UR error led to a trio of unearned runs in the second inning against Rochester starter Zach Herzog.
In the second inning, first-year catcher Luke Blozy singled to left, plating Henry Jamieson, to start a string of five straight runs for Rochester.
Quincy Jaksch provided an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the third frame, pushing Colby Cruser across home plate.
UR took the lead with three runs in the fourth. A Hobart dropped fly ball allowed Blozy to score. Alec Ellison added an RBI ground out and another throwing error kept the inning alive and scored Jackson Reed.
Hobart knotted the game at 5-5 following a balk after a Nate Garrett triple in the fifth.
The tie game didn't last for long though, as Rochester batted around and scored six runs in the bottom half of the inning. After an early out, Sammy Besztery was hit by a pitch and Blozy followed with a single. Back-to-back walks drove in a run and Cruser added a 2-run single.
After a pitching chance, a wild pitch put runners at second and third before Ellison laced a 2-run triple to the gap in right center. Dylan Stezzi completed the scoring with a sacrifice fly.
A two-out double in the sixth allowed Hobart to get one of those runs back, but the Yellowjackets added two more to their total in the bottom of the seventh on another Ellison extra base hit.
Hobart's pitcher provided a run-scoring balk to push across Rochester's final run, and the Statesmen finished off the game with a single tally in the top of the ninth.
On the mound, Herzog and Matthew Grier each went two innings to open the game for the Yellowjackets. Herzog allowed four runs (1 earned) and struck out two. Grier did not allow in his outing, striking out three and walking two in what was a scheduled bullpen game.
Thomas Blaydes (2-1) provide a terrific outing in picking up the win for Rochester, striking out a career-high seven batters across a career-long 4.2 innings. He scattered seven hits and gave up three runs, pitching into the ninth. Mark Aaronson got the final out of the game for UR.
Ellison continued his hot streak at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double, triple and 5 RBI. Cruser was 2-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI while Blozy finished 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Rochester as a team ran all over the field, stealing seven bases, with Besztery and Josh Leadem each swiping two bags. The two combined to score five runs as well.
The series concludes on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader at Hobart's home field, McDonough Park, with the first game set for noon.