ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - The Bard College baseball team suffered a pair of non-league defeats in doubleheader action Saturday afternoon, as they were bested by Clarkson University, 14-4 in Game 1, and 11-2 in Game 2.

Making his first collegiate start, first year pitcher Aidan Risse went 5.2 innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out four. Bard head coach Andy Salvatore was happy with the performance.

"In his first college start, he did well," Salvatore said. "He showed some composure and got out of some tough jams. He really located two or three pitches for strikes at any time. I think as a young guy he's poised, and we're going to need him."

The Raptors (1-3) were led offensively in the first game by junior Spencer Checkoway and sophomore catcher Jared Toby. Both players drove in a pair of runs, Checkoway with a two-run homer in the fifth that cut Bard's deficit to 4-2, and Toby with a two-run double in the seventh. Senior Jordan Myers picked up three hits in Game 1.

Clarkson (5-5) put up three runs in the first inning and got a strong pitching performance from Glenn Stever (Lancaster, N.Y.) in Game 2. Stever went five innings, allowing no runs on four hits. Sophomore Brandon Kaminsky drove in a run for the Raptors with an RBI single in the sixth, and Checkoway provided an RBI double in the ninth. Myers added two more hits and is batting .611 through four games.

Bard enters Liberty League play next weekend with a four-game series against Ithaca, beginning with two at Honey Field on Saturday, and ending with two at Ithaca on Sunday.

"We just have to get back to fundamentals," Salvatore said. "Getting ahead in the count on the mound, taking good at-bats and good swings. We have some work to do, but we also know that we have the guys that we need to get it done."