Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

ROCHESTER, NY (April 17, 2010) – Playing against the nationally-ranked Liberty League leader, the Vassar College baseball team dropped 12-4 and 10-6 games to No. 23 University of Rochester on Saturday at Towers Field.

The Brewers fall to 6-17, 2-12 in the Liberty League while the Yellowjackets improve to 22-4 and remain undefeated with a 14-0 league record. Rochester is ranked No. 23 in the Division III coaches poll and No. 25 by D3baseball.com this week. Vassar and Rochester will play a doubleheader at Rochester again tomorrow, beginning at 12:00 p.m.

Game One
A five-run third inning for the Yellowjackets proved the difference in the opener on Saturday. Heading into the bottom of the third with the game tied at one run apiece, Rochester loaded the bases with one out on two singles and a walk. Designated hitter Matt Francis delivered for the Yellowjackets in the most auspicious manner possible, with a grand slam over the left field fence. Rochester tacked on another run, unearned, as Jon Menke singled and eventually scored on an error.

Although the Brewers responded with two runs in the top of the inning to cut the lead to 6-3, the Yellowjackets continued to score with at least one run in their remaining three innings, en route to the 12-4 win.

The Brewers were outhit, 12-7, in the game. Junior outfielder Devon Luongo led Vassar at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one RBI, while freshman Mike Perrone was the only other Brewer with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with one run and one stolen base. Junior catcher David Ringold added a hit and an RBI, while sophomore outfielder Sal Costanzo had a double.

Sophomore Dennis Tario took the loss, falling to 1-2, allowing 10 runs, seven of them earned, on 10 hits in four innings. Dan Ludwig improved to 5-1 for Rochester, scattering seven hits to allow four runs, two earned, with six strikeouts and four walks.

Game Two
The Brewers struck first in the nightcap, as junior second baseman Joe Castilla hit a one-out single in the second inning, moving to second on a Yellowjacket error and scoring on a single from freshman designated hitter David Keith. However, Rochester responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good. The Yellowjackets plated five runs on five hits, all with two outs in the inning, as Blayne Fuke and Steve Just hit RBI singles, Nate Stein blasted an RBI triple, and Alex Caghan singled in two runs.

Vassar made the game tight again with two runs in the third as sophomore first baseman Liam Lee led off with a single to centerfield, stole second, and scored on a base hit from Perrone. A single from Luongo advanced Perrone to third and a one-out groundout from Costanzo scored Perrone to make the score 5-3 in favor of Rochester.

A run apiece in the fifth made the score 6-4, but the Yellowjackets gave themselves some breathing room with three runs in the sixth. Fuke led off with a triple, scoring on a sacrifice bunt from Caghan, and Just tacked on two more with a two RBI single to left field that gave his team a 9-4 edge.

The teams again traded runs in the seventh, and a Vassar run in the eighth drew the Brewers within four heading into the top of the ninth. Vassar quickly made things interesting, loading the bases with no outs as freshman outfielder Sean Morash reached on an error, Lee was hit by a pitch, and Perrone singled. However, Rochester reliever Ned Chanatry induced a double play and a groundout to escape the inning unscathed.

The Brewers had 10 hits in the loss, led by a 3-for-3, two run, one stolen base effort from Lee. Vassar's top two hitters again had multiple hits, as leadoff man Perrone went 2-for- 4 with one RBI and one run, followed by Luongo who was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Costanzo added one hit, two RBIs, and a run. Rochester's first five hitters all recorded two hits apiece, while Fuke went 3-for-3 with one RBI and two runs.

Freshman Lawrence Flicker took the loss for the Brewers, falling to 2-4. Flicker pitched 5.1 innings, allowing nine runs, all earned, on 13 hits. Sophomore Scott Allen pitched 2.1 innings of relief, allowing just one earned run and two hits, on two strikeouts and two walks. Nate Kowal (6-0) earned the win to remain undefeated, allowing eight hits and five runs – three earned – while striking out six and walking just one in seven innings.