HOUGHTON, N.Y. (April 29, 2016) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team scored five times in the first three innings and hung on to a 7-3 Empire 8 Conference win over Houghton College Friday.

The Ducks moved to 22-13 and 12-4 in the E8, while Houghton fell to 13-23.

Stevens wasted no time, as senior Jayson Yano led off the game with a walk. Junior Garrett Wells would reach on an error, and Yano scampered all the way from first to score the first run of the game. 

With one out in the second, freshman Carlos Leon and senior Jonathan Toro perfected a double steal to put men on second and third. Junior Harrison Kaye grounded out to score Leon, and Toro would scoot home on a passed ball as the Ducks would be up 3-0 after two. The visitors took advantage of another error in the third, as a ball Leon hit was misplayed into two runs.

Senior Robert Robbins got all the run support he needed, as he faced the minimum through five innings. Robbins was the beneficiary of a pair of double plays over those five frames, and in the sixth, Kaye laced an RBI single to left to pad the lead. 

The Florida native ran into trouble in the sixth, as Tage Johnson tagged him for a three run double, slicing the lead in half. But with the tying run on deck, Robbins would get a strikeout to end the inning. Senior Ryan Patterson relieved Robbins in the seventh, and retired five straight hitters. 

Kaye recorded his career-best third RBI of the game with a bunt single in the eighth, but once again, Houghton had the tying run in the on deck circle in the bottom of the frame. Senior Danny McIntyre got a fielder's choice to escape the jam. Classmate Bret Viola set the Highlanders down 1-2-3 in the ninth, including a pair of strikeouts.

Leon went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, while Kaye was 2-for-4 with the three RBI's. Robbins fanned six in his six innings, while the bullpen tossed three innings of hitless relief.

The two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m.

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