POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 24, 2016) – The Vassar College baseball team put itself in great position in the Liberty League standings this weekend, as the Brewers earned a pair of hard fought conference wins over Rochester Institute of Technology Sunday to complete a four-game sweep of the Tigers in action from Prentiss Field. VC won 2-0 in the opening game in extra innings, while earning a 6-5 win in game two of the afternoon.

Game 1 – Vassar 2, RIT 0 (9 innings)
Junior hurlers Adam Erkis and Robert Winkelmann combined to hurl a gem in game one, holding the Tiger offense scoreless through nine innings, and Nick Johnson gave the Brewers the lead for good in the ninth with a RBI triple to score Bobby Kinne.

The story of the game though was the great clutch pitching from both Erkis and Winkelmann, who combined to strike out 14 batters in the game. Erkis and RIT starter Brandon Cohall dueled all contest, matching each other pitch-for-pitch, as both starters had a full array of pitches working in the game.

RIT's best chance to score came in the seventh inning, as Mike Myers doubled with one out. After Erkis got a strikeout, he induced a ground ball to shortstop. The ball was misplayed, but Myers came around third trying to score on the error and sophomore Matt Hernandez was able to cut him down at the plate.

Vassar also had strong chances to score in the sixth and seventh innings, but Cohall worked out of jams twice. Winkelmann came on in relief in the eighth inning, and struck out all three hitters on three pitches, sending the game to the ninth inning. In the top half, Kinne started the rally with a single through the right side of the infield.

Two pitches later, Johnson blasted a 1-0 pitch from Cohall over the centerfielder's head, scoring Kinne all the way from first. Sophomore Eric Strickland would plate Johnson two batters later, as he lifted a sacrifice fly to center field. In the bottom of the ninth, Winkelmann worked  a 1-2-3 frame, striking out two more hitters to seal the win.

Erkis tossed seven innings total before exiting, allowing just five hits and two walks on 104 pitches, striking out a career-high nine batters. Cohall went all nine for RIT, surrendering seven hits and two earned runs while fanning eight hitters.

Senior Brooks English was 2-for-4 for Vassar, which earned its second nine-inning, extra-inning 2-0 win of the season.

Game 2 – Vassar 6, RIT 5
The Brewers came back from an early 3-0 deficit, scoring in each of the final four innings to close out the four-game sweep of the Tigers. In the seventh inning, Johnson walked to start the rally, moving to second on a bunt and getting to third on a wild pitch on an intentional walk attempt. Strickland then skied a 1-1 pitch to left fielder Taylor Hogan, and Johnson was able to score from third on the play to give VC its winning margin.

RIT (13-16, 7-9 Liberty League) jumped out quickly on the Brewers, as Will Gorman and Jason Schulz each posted RBI singles. An inning later, Gorman once again delivered a RBI single to put the Tigers up 3-0. The Brewers battled back though, scoring three times in the fourth inning, two coming on a single from Hernandez. Senior Dakota Sagnelli tied the game a batter later, lacing a single through the left side to score Matt Schwartz.

The Brewers earned their first lead of the game in the fifth inning, as Mike Koscielniak worked a seven-pitch walk to lead off the frame. The junior outfielder would eventually score with two outs, as Strickland drew a bases loaded free pass. RIT did not go away, scoring an unearned run off of Winkelmann, who worked another 1.2 innings in game two.

In the top of the sixth, Vassar regained the lead as Sagnelli made a heads up base running play on a slow roller in front of the plate, scampering home on a Brooks English groundout to make the score 5-4. RIT once again evened the game in the bottom of the sixth as Dom Scialabba singled to third base to score Hogan, dead-locking the game at five.

In the bottom of the seventh after VC took the 6-5 lead, senior Connor Cucalon worked around a lead-off single and fanned Gorman with a runner on second to give VC the win. Sagnelli was 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored, while Kinne added two more hits for VC. The Brewers are now 5-0 since Kinne's return to the starting lineup last Sunday.

Hernandez also posted two hits on four at-bats in game two, while Strickland posted two RBI as well for VC. Trent Berg struck out five batters over 3.1 innings for the Brewers, while Winkelmann fanned three more batters in 1.2 frames of relief. Cucalon earned the win, tossing the final two innings, scattering three hits and striking out three.

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Vassar (15-15, 10-6 Liberty) will finish its 15-game home stand on Wednesday afternoon, hosting Mount Saint Mary College at 4 p.m. on Prentiss Field in non-conference play.