POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - The Vassar College Baseball team set a program-record with 20 wins in a single season on Friday as the Brewers split a Liberty League doubleheader with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Prentiss Field. The Engineers earned a 9-5 victory in game one while Vassar recorded an 11-3 victory in game two.

RPI 9 - VC 5
The Engineers struck first in the top of the first as Aidan Hicks blasted a solo homer to left field to take an early 1-0 lead. Vassar tied it at one in the bottom half of the inning on a RBI groundout from junior Reid Lapekas, who plated junior Jaden Millstein after Millstein led off with a double.

RPI put together a four-run second inning as two runs scored on back-to-back balks before Cole Paquin doubled home Hicks on a line drive to center field. Paquin later scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-1. Vassar answered with two runs in the bottom half as junior Ty Murray singled through the middle to score sophomore Ricardo Reyna and then Murray scored on a RBI single from senior Alex Warren.

The Engineers scored one again in the third as Joey Saia laced a RBI triple to score Jack Moncur and then scored on a balk. Robbie Reddington drove home Ayush Krishnappa on a single followed by Rainer scoring on a double steal attempt to make it 9-3 after five innings.

Senior Adam Talwalkar was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score a run in the fifth and Millstein singled down the left field line to score Murray in the eighth.

Senior Ryan Harris took the loss for Vassar as he went two innings, allowing eight hits, seven runs, two walks and struck out three. Sophomore Pat Kerrigan tossed four scoreless innings in relief and gave up just one hit.

Cameron Heuer earned the win for RPI as he threw 5.1 innings and gave up 10 hits, four runs (three earned), one walk and struck out one. Alex Vallee picked up the save with a scoreless ninth inning.

Warren and Millstein each tallied three hits along with junior Jack Silvera, Reyna and Murray adding two hits each for the Brewers. Saia, Krishnappa, Rainer and Reddington had two hits apiece for RPI while Hicks and Rainer each scored two runs.

VC 11 - RPI 3
The Brewers scored first in the bottom of the first inning as Millstein crossed home plate on a wild pitch followed by senior Ezra Caspi driving home freshman Jensen Bergman on a sacrifice fly.

The Engineers tied it at two in the second as Phillip Li's sacrifice fly scored Saia and a RBI infield single from Steve Koval plated Moncur. Vassar answered with three runs of its own as Bergman singled home senior Nick Greenhawt followed by Lapekas squeezing home sophomore Birch Herring-Jackson. Senior Andrew Kanellis gave Vassar a 5-2 lead on a RBI single to plate Lapekas.

RPI scratched out a run in the fourth on a steal of home by LI before Vassar exploded for five runs in the fifth with senior Christian Baaki doubling home Lapekas and Reyna singling through the middle to score Warren and pinch-runner sophomore Jack Story. Millstein and Lapekas each added RBI singles in the inning to put the Brewers ahead 10-3. Herring-Jackson added a RBI single in the sixth inning to plate Talwalkar.

Freshman Addison Lee earned the win for Vassar as he threw five innings, allowing four hits, three runs, five walks and struck out seven. Senior Bryce Grathwohl tossed two scoreless innings in relief and struck out one. Ben Koomey took the loss for RPI as he went 4.1 innings and gave up seven hits, eight runs (five earned), one walk and struck out six. 

Herring-Jackson finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a RBI while Lapekas finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBI. Reyna added two RBI along with Millstein tallying two hits and two RBI for Vassar. Martin Marintchev had two hits for RPI and Li and Koval each knocked in a run.

Vassar will take on RPI on Sunday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. with the winner earning the right to host a Liberty League Divisional Crossover Series next weekend.