Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 21, 2009) – Thanks to a dramatic walk-off win in the opening game, the Vassar College baseball team split its Liberty League-opening doubleheader with Clarkson University on Saturday at Prentiss Field. A game-winning base hit from sophomore Joe Castilla (Weston, FL/Archbishop McCarthy) gave the Brewers a 7-6 victory in the first game, complementing freshman starter John MacGregor's (Montclair, NJ/ Montclair Kimberley) impressive performance on the mound. In the second game, the Golden Knights cruised to an 11-1 win.

The Brewers (2-5, 1-1) and the Knights (6-6, 1-1) will face off for another doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Prentiss Field.

Game One
Clutch hits in the seventh inning from Castilla and junior Ari Glantz (Cambridge, MA/Cambridge, Rindge & Latin) complemented a strong pitching performance from MacGregor as the Brewers picked up a 7-6 walk-off win in the first seven-inning game. MacGregor turned out his second solid start of the year. The freshman right-hander pitched five and two-thirds innings, allowing five runs, just two earned. He scattered ten hits while recording seven strikeouts to four walks. Earning the win for the Brewers was freshman relief pitcher Zachary Prudoff (St. Croix, VI/St. Croix Country Day) who pitched one and one third inning, allowing one hit and one earned run, with one strikeout and no walks.

After the Knights tied the game in the top of the seventh inning, Glantz led off by sending the first pitch he saw to the right centerfield fence for a standup triple. A fly-out to shallow right field from Sal Costanzo (Cooper City, FL/Archbishop McCarthy) was not enough to score Glantz, bringing Castilla to the plate with one out. The sophomore designated hitter sent a single through the left side of the infield to bring Glantz home with the winning run.

With the Knights down 6-5 heading into the top of the seventh inning, freshman David Kinney (Mexico, NY/Mexico) led off the inning as a pinch hitter. Kinney delivered, sending a standup double to deep center field. Senior Sal DiSanza (Elbridge, NY/Jordan Elbridge) came into pinch run and after reaching third on a wild pitch, scored the tying run on a two-out RBI groundout from junior Matt Curry (Richland, NY/Pulaski). Freshman relief pitcher Prudoff then got out of the inning with a short pop-up to send the Brewers to the bat with a tie game, setting the scene for Glantz and Castilla's big hits.

Both teams had strong second innings at the plate, with the Knights scoring four runs in the top of the frame and the Brewers responding with five. For Clarkson in the second, Jerry Coleman (Potsdam, NY/Potsdam) got his team on board with a solo home run over the right centerfield fence. The other three Clarkson runs in the inning were unearned, with Cale Giroux (Cortland, NY/Groton) recording a two RBI single to centerfield. The Brewers picked up their runs in the bottom of the inning on RBI singles from Zack Miller (San Francisco, CA/Lick-Wilmerding) and Adam Murphy (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood), and a two RBI single from Glantz.

Another Vassar run in the bottom of the fifth gave the Brewers some breathing room, but Clarkson plated one of its own in the top of the sixth to draw within one run.

Miller led the Vassar bats, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored. Glantz added a 2-for-4, two RBI, one run effort, and five other Brewers recorded hits for ten total Vassar hits. Torbitt and Curry both notched two hits for the Knights, who had 11 as a team.

Game Two
Clarkson senior starter Greg Chojecki (West Seneca, NY/St. Francis) held the Vassar bats at bay in the second game, with a masterful 11-strikeout performance. Chojecki (1-1) pitched a complete nine-inning game, allowing five hits, one run, and one walk. He had a three-hit shutout going into the ninth before the Brewers scored one run with hits from Joe Bubar (Washington, DC/Georgetown Day) and Costanzo.

The Knights complemented Chojecki's performance with 15 hits, scoring three runs apiece in the third and fourth innings to give Chojecki a comfortable six-run lead. Senior Matt Holiday (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden) got the Knights going in the third inning with a three-run homerun over the left field fence. Clarkson tacked on three more in the fourth as Kinney and Brett Peplowski (Albany, NY/Colonie) led off the inning with base hits. A sacrifice fly from DiSanza and consecutive RBI doubles from Curry and Pete Clarke (Tully, NY/CBA) brought in Clarkson's runs.

Senior starter Tyler Bellstrom (Townshend, VT/Leland & Gray) took the loss, falling to 0-3. Freshman reliever Dennis Tario (Ballston Spa, NY/Saratoga Central) pitched a strong two and a third innings for the Brewers, allowing one run on three hits, with three strikeouts and no walks.

Clarke, Curry, and Matt Giordano (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) all recorded three hits for the Knights, with Clarke and Holiday each adding three RBI apiece. For the Brewers, Bubar, Costanzo, Miller, Murphy, and Castilla all notched one hit apiece.