PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester baseball team fell behind early, but made couldn't complete a full comeback, falling to SUNY Brockport by an 8-6 score on Wednesday afternoon at Towers Field.
Brockport (8-6) saw its bats get hot early, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning, and followed that up with three more in the second to jump out to the 8-0 lead after just two frames.
Rochester's bullpen did a terrific job after that, allowing just three hits over the final seven innings to allow the Yellowjackets (7-5) to claw back into the game.
After a rocky first inning from UR starter Colby Cruser (0-1), Sammy Rosenfield started the bullpen effort. He tossed three innings and allowed three runs, all in the second.
Luke Boylan was masterful in his three innings, facing the minimum of nine batters, allowing one hit while striking out two. Thomas Karpishin closed out the final two frames, mowing down six straight batters, with one strikeout.
Dan Tirabassi led the Yellowjackets offensively, going 4-for-4 at the plate, with a pair of doubles and a triple. He scored three runs and added an RBI. Josh Leadem also drove in a pair and was 2-for-4, adding two steals.
Right out of the gates, the Golden Eagles got to Cruser with four straight extra base hits to lead 3-0. After a passed ball allowed a fourth run to cross home, James Houlahan provided his second hit of the inning, singling in Patrick Bigham for a 5-0 Brockport lead.
In the second, three more hits led off the inning, with Bigham providing a two-run double. Two batters later, Justin Pangburn finished off Brockport's scoring with a single to plate Bigham.
Rochester got back into the game in the fifth, scoring four runs on three hits and a Brockport error. John Moses started the rally with a double down the left field line. Luke Gregory reached on an error and runners were at the corners with no outs. Tirabassi laced a ground-rule double to right center to score one, and Leadem plated two more with a single to left. After a steal and wild pitch, Leadem scored on a Jackson Reed sacrifice fly.
Tirabassi led off the Rochester half of the seventh with a double and eventually came around to score on an Aaron Whitley sacrifice fly, but the Yellowjackets spoiled a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity and only could muster the one run, cutting the lead to three.
After Karpishin sat down the Golden Eagle bats 1-2-3 in the ninth, UR looked to tie or possibly win it, trailing 8-5. Tirabassi recorded his fourth hit of the game to start the inning, tripling just inside the first base bag. He came around to score on a balk.
After a ground out, Joseph Rende singled to right to bring the tying run to the plate. Reliever Cooper Meldrim settled in after that, getting a strikeout and ground out to preserve the victory.
Brockport's Justin DelVecchio (1-0) earned the win, going four innings on the mound. He struck out three and allowed four runs, two of which were earned. Meldrim picked up the save, allowing just one run over the final two innings.
At the plate, both Nicholas Pastore and Zach Eldred each finished 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI to lead the Golden Eagles. Both finished a home run shy of the cycle. Houlahan and Pangburn also had multi-hit efforts with two hits each.
Rochester is back in action this weekend with the start of Liberty League conference play. The Yellowjackets are set to play at Ithaca for two games on Saturday, before hosting the Bombers in a Sunday afternoon single game.