WILLIAMSTOWN, MA (April 11, 2018) -- The Vassar College baseball team trailed 6-2 going into the top of the ninth, but rallied for eight runs in its last at-bat to stun host Williams College 10-7 in non-conference action from Bobby Coombs Field Wednesday. 

The Brewers (10-7) sent 13 hitters to the plate in the decisive ninth frame, taking advantage of five free passes, four singles and one fielding error by the Ephs (4-13). Down 6-2 going into the ninth, junior Matt Schwartz and senior Matt Hernandez walked to start the inning. After a foul out, junior Bryan Rubin singled down the left field line to score Schwartz. 

Senior and Western Massachusetts native Bobby Kinne pinch-hit and singled to keep the rally going, followed a batter later by an RBI walk by freshman Matt McGannon to make the score 6-4. Junior Jake Doyle singled to score Rubin to trim the Williams lead to one at 6-5, and junior Taylor Smach drew another bases loaded walk to tie the game at six. 

With the score tied at six, junior Jesse Mulham drew another walk to score a run, the third run-scoring free pass of the frame to put Vassar up 7-6. After a fielding error plated another run, Hernandez came up for the second time in the inning and drove in Smach with a single to center to make it 9-6. Vassar's rally finally finished after freshman Jason Salerno scored a run on a sacrifice fly. 

In the bottom of the ninth, Williams pushed across a run and had runners at first and third with one out, but freshman Logan Willans got a fielder's choice and fly out to give VC the win. Vassar had taken the lead first in the top of the third on a throwing error, but Williams quickly responded with three runs in the bottom of the third. 

The Brewers pulled to within one at 3-2 in the top of the fifth after Doyle singled in Rubin, who had singled to start the inning. The Ephs scored one in the seventh and two in the eighth to set up the wild finish. 

Rubin, who was hitting .182 seven games ago, has raised his average up to .372 after going 3-for-5 Wednesday with two runs and an RBI to up his hit streak to nine games. Hernandez was 2-for-4 with a RBI and run, and Doyle finished with two hits, two RBI and a run scored. Senior Eric Strickland had the only extra-base hit for Vassar, which finished with nine hits. Freshman Gunnar Widercrantz also laid down two sacrifice bunts for VC. 

Sophomore Evan Trausch allowed four hits and three earned runs in his 3.2 innings of work in the first start of his career, as freshman Hawkins Hodges got the only batter he faced in the fourth inning. Fellow newcomer Patrick Fitzgerald gave VC two innings of scoreless relief, scattering two hits while punching out two. 

The Brewers will now look to continue their solid play in Liberty League action this upcoming Friday afternoon, hosting Clarkson University at 1 p.m. on Prentiss Field after the location change from Potsdam, NY to Poughkeepsie, NY for the conference four-game series.