From University of Rochester Athletics
The University of Rochester baseball team earned a doubleheader sweep over Bard College on Saturday afternoon, winning 8-1 and then held on for a 5-4 win in a key Liberty League matchup.
Rochester wins its fifth and sixth straight games and improves to 16-12, 9-5 in the Liberty League with the sweep while Bard drops to 8-22 overall and 3-11 in the conference.
In game one, UR ace Evan Janifer (4-2) tossed his third complete game of the season, going seven innings, scattering 7 hits, 1 run while striking out 6 Raptor hitters.
Offensively in the opener, Rochester's middle of the lineup provided the pop, with 2-5 hitters, Steve Eychner, Nolan Schultz, Aiden Finch and Dan Warren all recording multi-hit games. Warren had the best game, going 3-4 with 3 RBI and a stolen base. Both Schultz and Finch went 2-3 with two runs scored while Eychner was 2-5 with a double, run and an RBI.
The Yellowjackets got things started quickly in the top of the first off of Bard starter Zach Hayes. With one out, Eychner doubled and back to back walks to Schultz and Finch loaded the bases for Warren. The senior utility player singled to right, plating two runs. Freshman Ryan Spurr then singled the same way, scoring Finch for a 3-0 UR lead.
Rochester's third inning saw senior Jake Meyerson increase the lead to 4-0 with an RBI single to center. The next inning, Finch and Warren each added RBI singles, moving the margin to 6-0 and it became 8-0 after the top of the 5th behind a sacrifice fly from Matt Todd and an Eychner RBI single.
The Raptors would break up the shutout in the bottom of the 5th when Adam Carafotes singled through the right side, plating Jack Hawke. Bard's starter Hayes allowed 12 hits and 8 runs (5 earned) in five innings of work, walking 4 and striking out 1. Rami Masani allowed just one hit over the final two innings for the Raptors.
The nightcap was a nail biter, with Bard having the tying run at 3rd base when the game ended. Rochester would end up going up 5-1 after scoring a run in the top of the 8th, but the Raptors would score twice in the 8th and once in the 9th to pull within 5-4 before sophomore Luke Meyerson got a double-play and a pop out to seal the game two victory.
On the mound, senior Dan Warren (1-3) pitched great, going a season high 8 innings, allowing 6 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Luke Meyerson picked up his first save of the year.
At the plate, the Yellowjackets slugged three triples in the game, one each by Warren, Eychner and Kilmer. UR's Spurr and Pete Carrier each went 2-4 in game two while Kilmer drove in two runs.
In the second inning, Carrier singled to right, driving in Warren for a 1-0 Yellowjacket lead. In the 5th, it would become 4-0 Rochester after Kilmer's triple scored Jake Meyerson and Spurr and a balk allowed the UR freshman to scamper home.
Bard got on the board in the 6th with a double-play groundout from Carafotes, but Rochester responded with a run in the 8th on a Schultz RBI groundout to make the score 5-1.