Rensselaer Holds on For Win over Rams
#3 Rensselaer - 5, #4 Farmingdale State - 4
Farmingdale, N.Y. - Third-seeded Rensselaer
(32-9) used a four-run third inning to get a jump on the fourth
seed Rams (26-15), 4-0, and held on throughout a late Farmingdale
comeback for the 5-4 victory. The Red Hawks will face #5 Western
New England in tomorrow's night game, slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.
Freshman Dan Duval (Middletown, Mass.) got the win for the Red Hawks, relieving senior Andy Opperman (Oneida, N.Y.) in the fifth inning. Duval struck out six over three innings of relief, allowing just one run on three hits. Sophomore pitcher Mike Cieszko (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) picked up his fourth save of the year, coming in for the final 1.2 innings and allowing just one hit with two strikeouts.
Rensselaer jumped out to a lead in the third on four hits. Junior Scott Robinson (Schenectady, N.Y.) started off the inning with a single to right before the Rams retired the next two batters. But the Red Hawks followed with a single, two doubles and a walk to build a 4-0 advantage.
Farmingdale got a run back in the top of the fourth when junior
Mike Labrozzi (Sag Harbor, N.Y.) scored on an error in the
outfield. The Rams added two more in the top of the fifth with an
RBI single by junior Zak Nersesian (Nyack, N.Y.). Nersesian also
rounded the bases for the second run of the inning.
Rensselaer responded with a run in the bottom of that inning, scoring on a wild pitch to make it 5-3 RPI.
The Rams would score in the seventh to make it 5-4, but stranded a runner on second as the inning ended on a fly out. In the eighth, Farmingdale got a hit from junior Vinny Block (Mineola, N.Y), and in the ninth would have runners at second and third with two outs, but a groundout to short would end the game as the Red Hawks took the win.
Senior pitcher Tom Heeman (Valley Stream, N.Y.) threw 6.2 innings, striking out seven batters in the loss. Heeman is now 7-3 overall.
The Rams will face #6 Clarkson at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14th, while Rensselaer plays at 7:00 p.m.
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