ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Bard College baseball team was eliminated from Liberty League playoff contention on Saturday, as the Raptors suffered a pair of agonizing losses to the University of Rochester, 2-1 and 5-4.
Bard got excellent starting pitching in both games, but an unearned run was the difference in the Game 1 loss, and two unearned runs in a four-run bottom of the ninth ruined Game 2.
Evan Richardson and Garrett Renslow (Castleton, NY) provided a pitchers' duel in the first game. Richardson gave up a double and single to start the game, so he was down 1-0 right away, but then he settled in. He scattered four hits the rest of the way, throwing a complete seven-inning game with one strikeout and no walks. The Yellowjackets scored an unearned run in the fourth.
Renslow (4-1) was just a little better. He struck out eight through six innings, yielding just four hits. Bard's only run came on
Rory Maglich's first career homer, an inside-the-park job in the top of the fifth. Brendan Shameih (Whippany, NJ) tossed a perfect seventh to pick up his sixth save.
Esteban Rivera had two of Bard's four hits.
In Game 2, the Raptors were down 1-0 before taking the lead in the top of the fifth. Bard loaded the bases with one out on a single by
Ryan Chipman, a walk by
Alex Luscher, and a fielder's choice by
Rory Maglich. After a pop-up in the infield,
Jordan Myers drove in a pair with a two-out single to center to make it 2-1.
Bard loaded the bases again in the sixth.
Justin Fiume was hit by a pitch, and Chipman and Luscher followed with singles.
Julian Gonzalez singled to left to make it 3-1, and an RBI groundout by Maglich made it 4-1.
Meanwhile, Bard starter
Kyle Zigner was cruising. He gave up three hits in the third, then none until the eighth. By the time the ninth came around, he had a 4-1 lead and had thrown 118 pitches. Rochester's leadoff batter in the bottom of the ninth worked a nine-pitch walk, and Bard went to closer
Alex Bunnell.
An infield error keyed a four-run rally, and Rochester walked off, 5-4, for the sweep.
Chipman and Luscher each had two hits for Bard, 13-20 overall, 7-13 in conference play. Rochester is 22-14, 15-7.
The 2019 season will wrap up with a doubleheader at Rochester on Sunday.