Vassar Baseball Opens Liberty League Action With Split To St. Lawrence

Recap, photo courtesy of Vassar College

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 30, 2018) -- The Vassar College baseball team opened its 2018 Liberty League slate on Friday with a conference doubleheader with visiting St. Lawrence University, splitting a pair of contests from Prentiss Field. Vassar took the opening game 6-2, before St. Lawrence gathered itself to earn an 8-3 win in the nightcap.

Game 1: Vassar 6, St. Lawrence 2
Sophomore Max Spencer hurled his first career complete game for Vassar in game one, allowing two earned runs and seven hits, to help lead the Brewers to the win. Spencer allowed two runs in the top of the fifth, but stuck through it to finish things while throwing 116 pitches on the day.

Vassar jumped out on top in the bottom of the second inning, plating three runs
off of St. Lawrence starter Patrick Greenan. Sophomore Evan Trausch singled to start the frame, followed by a walk by fellow sophomore Daniel Bonfiglio. A throwing error loaded the bases for VC, and the Brewers pushed across runs on a ground out, RBI bunt single from freshman Tanner Blough and a squeeze play from senior Eric Strickland.

St. Lawrence threatened in the fourth, loading the bases with one out but Spencer would work out of the jam thanks to a pop out and a ground ball to third to strand three runners on base for the Saints.

VC added two more in the bottom half of the fourth, as senior Bobby Kinne was hit by a pitch which forced in a run. Later in the frame, Strickland made a great baserunning play at third base, reading the ball in the dirt and scampered home with the ball just feet away from the plate to make the score 5-0.

St. Lawrence clawed back into the game with two in the top of the fifth, but that was all the visitors would get, as Spencer held SLU off the board the rest of the way to seal the win for Vassar.

Kinne finished 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Brewers, while Blough was 2-for-3 with two RBI in the win. Junior catcher Jake Doyle was 1-for-2 with a walk, RBI and three runs scored as well for Vassar, which finished with seven hits on the day.

SLU was paced by the three hits from Evan O'Keefe in game one.

Game 2: St. Lawrence 8, Vassar 3
St. Lawrence No. 9 hitter Tyler Guido drove in three runs,and starter Caleb Clark went eight innings to help earn a doubleheader split for the Saints in the second game of the day.

St. Lawrence scored four runs in the top of the fourth to go ahead for good, and VC had chances but the Saints made multiple nice defensive plays to keep the hosts from busting open a big inning.

Trausch finished with two hits to lead the Brewers, while Vassar saw juniors Bryan Rubin, Matt Schwartz and Doyle each singled and scored a run. Blough was 1-for-3 with a RBI for VC as well. Freshman starter Matt McGannon went five innings, scattering five hits while striking out three hitters.