POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 2, 2016) – The Vassar College baseball team rallied with two outs in the ninth to tie the game at five, and pushed across a run in the 11^th for the walk-off win to earn a Liberty League split with Skidmore College Saturday in action from Prentiss Field. The Thoroughbreds earned game one 2-0, before Vassar College was able to take the season series with the 6-5 game two win. Vassar moved to 9-9 overall and 5-3 in the Liberty League, while Skidmore dropped to 5-11 and 2-6 in conference action.

Game 1 – Skidmore 2, Vassar 0
Skidmore junior starter Andrew Aikins tossed a complete game shutout in the doubleheader opener, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out three batters in pickup up his third win of the season.

Aikins was rarely in trouble during the game, but the biggest threat for the Brewers came in the fourth inning when Vassar had first and second with two outs, but the Thoroughbred righty got a pop out to escape the jam. In the fifth inning, Vassar led off with a hit batsman, and junior Brad Kendall moved Matt Hernandez to second base with a sacrifice bunt.

After a Denis Shanagher walk, the Brewers had runners at the corners with two outs, but Aikins got Brooks English to ground out to end the inning. Those were the biggest threats for Vassar, as Skidmore scored once in the third and seventh innings to earn the win. Shanagher, Nick Johnson and Eric Strickland all had hits, while Shanagher added a stolen base as well.

Brewer starter Adam Erkis was the tough-luck loser, as he tossed a complete game as well, scattering nine hits and two earned runs. Erkis struck out six batters and also walked a pair of Throughbred hitters. Shankar Mani was 3-for-4 in game one, while Dan Dasgupta added two hits as well.

Game 2 – Vassar 6, Skidmore 5 (11 innings)
The nightcap had a little bit of everything, including rallies, rain delay dances and a walk-off sacrifice bunt error. The extra innings came only thanks to a late push by the Brewers in the ninth inning, as Brooks English delivered a single through the right side to score Chris Lee from second base to send the game to extras.

In the 10^th inning, Strickland led off with a pop up right behind the first baseman, but Mani and Shawn Klier both elected to defer and neither went for the ball, as it dropped for a leadoff double. Christian Reenstierna would pitch out of the jam though, sending the game to the 11^th inning. Vassar senior reliever Connor Cucalon was lights out in his three frames of work, striking out two hitters and allowing just one hit to keep the game deadlocked at fives.

In the bottom of the 11^th, junior Mike Koscielniak was plunked for his second straight at-bat setting up a bunt opportunity. On the subsequent sacrifice chance, Dasgupta pounced from behind the plate and his throw was on the mark, but the throw glanced off Mani's glove and down into the right field corner.

Koscielniak never stopped running, and Chris Lorenz's throw from right was not nearly in time as Koscielniak slid into home to bring the Brewers out of the dugout and onto the field to celebrate the walk-off win.

Vassar had led early on in the game, posting single runs in the second and third innings, but Skidmore posted three in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. The game was then halted for 47 minutes in the bottom of the sixth due to rain, but VC came out of the delay and scored two thanks to a RBI single from Lee, as Matt Hernandez came around on the play to score on an error.

SC didn't go away though, scoring two runs in the top of the seventh off of VC reliever Joe Conti, both coming on a single by Klier up the middle to make the score 5-4 Skidmore. That's where the game would stay until English delivered in the ninth.

Cucalon earned the win for the Brewers, as his three innings of work was the longest scoreless outing of his career since throwing three unblemished innings against Skidmore College back on April 21, 2013. Johnson was 2-for-5, while Strickland finished with two hits as well. Lee was 2-for-4 with two RBI, Cory Wuenschell posted his seventh double of the year, and Matt Schwartz added a double and a RBI on a sacrifice fly. 

Vassar starter Trent Berg threw 102 pitches over six innings, allowing three earned runs and eight hits before coming out at the rain delay. Junior Robert Winkelmann posted a scoreless eighth inning in relief as well for Vassar, needing just 12 pitches while fanning one hitter.

During the rain delay, the two teams entertained themselves by tossing baseballs disguised as grenades, pantomiming the Denver Broncos offensive unit, and competing in a dance competition.

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Vassar College (9-9, 5-3 Liberty League) will have six days off before heading to Clarkson University next Saturday and Sunday for four Liberty League contests in Potsdam, NY.