ROCHESTER, NY (May 11, 2018) -- Rochester Institute of Technology scored six runs in the top half of the first inning, using that lead to knock off the Vassar College baseball team 11-4 in an elimination game in the 2018 Liberty League Tournament. Vassar finishes its season 18-19, while the Tigers move on to play in another elimination game tonight at 5 PM against the loser of the second game Friday between Union College and host University of Rochester. 

The loss marks the end of the careers for six seniors that have meant so much to the program over the last four seasons, but the group went out with consecutive trips to the Liberty League Tournament over the last two seasons. Senior Matt Hernandez was named to the Liberty League All-Tournament team after the conclusion of the tournament, the fourth such Brewer to earn the award all-time. 

Friday's start wasn't what the Brewers were looking for though, as the Tigers (20-16-1) came out of the gates strong with six runs but senior John Madsen came on and got Vassar out of the jam by retiring both batters he faced in his final appearance as a Brewer. Madsen has been a constant for the Brewers over the last two seasons, working in 35 games as a junior and senior while his 18 appearances in 2018 is the second-most ever behind just the 19 from Race Bottini in 2010. 

The Brewers wouldn't go lightly though, as they plated two runs in the bottom of the second inning, as sophomore Evan Trausch got things started with a double to left center. Hernandez posted the first of his three hits with a single through the right side, and Bryan Rubin followed with an RBI double to left field to score Trausch and make the game 6-1. Junior Taylor Smach lifted a sacrifice fly on the next pitch to plate Hernandez, but Nick Claver came on with the bases loaded and recorded a strikeout and fly out to keep the contest at 6-2. 

RIT responded with three more runs in the top half of the third, plating another in the sixth and seventh to take an 11-2 edge. Vassar pushed across two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Trausch scored on a wild pitch and Hernandez came around on a RBI groundout by Connor Levchuck but that was as close as the Brewers would get. 

Hernandez finished 3-for-4, raising his average up to .304 on the season, while scoring twice. Hernandez for his career finished with 98 hits, the 24th-most in program history. Trausch was 2-for-3 with a double, while Smach, Jake Doyle and Matt Schwartz all singled for Vassar. 

Sophomore Mitchell Mullock, who threw 2.2 innings as a freshman, finished his breakout sophomore season by coming out of the pen and allowing just four earned runs over 6.2 innings. Mullock finished the year with a team-best 3.09 ERA, tossing the second-most innings of anyone on the team with 43.2 while walking only six all season. Rubin worked the last 1.1 innings, walking two but not allowing a run or hit while fanning one Tiger batter. 

Every Tiger starter had at least one hit, led by the 3-for-3 day from Dom Scialabba. 

Senior captain Bobby Kinne, who finished his career tied for eighth all-time in hits with 136, walked in his final at-bat before being lifted for a pinch hitter to a standing ovation from his teammates. VC will welcome back 27 players in 2019, but will miss Kinne, Hernandez, Madsen, Eric Strickland, Derek DeMild and Chris Lee come next season.