ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y - The Bard College baseball team tied, 9-9, after eight frames in a matchup against Mt. St. Mary on Tuesday afternoon at Honey Field. 

The Raptors and the Knights combined for 13 hits on the day, with Xavier Webb (3) and Elias Grosfoguel (2) leading the way for Bard, each recording multiple hits. Jamie Fryer, Rob DeBello, and Spencer Azzara also contributed, each landing one hit. Webb, Gavin Gonzalez, Grosfoguel, and Azzara all played key roles in the Raptors' run total, each scoring two runs. Emmett O'Brien also added one run. Grosfoguel, DeBello, and Jimmy Famularo each drove in two RBIs, while Fryer contributed one RBI. 

Sachin Wijay started on the mound, pitching for two innings and recording four strikeouts. Four more relief pitchers followed; Orlando Shin, Evan Landsman, Jackson Sprinzen, and Elise Berger. Shin and Landsman each pitched two innings, while Sprinzen and Berger each threw one inning. Sprinzen and Berger combined for two strikeouts, while Shin had one and Landsman recorded three.

The Knights came out swinging, scoring the first two runs of this hard-fought battle. However, the deficit was quickly erased. The Raptors responded immediately with an RBI sacrifice fly by Fryer and RBI single by DeBello. Mount Saint Mary retook a two-run lead in the next inning, but Bard answered with a big 2 RBI single from Elias Grosfoguel to left field, bringing Azzara and O'Brien home to tie the game at 4-4.

Before the end of the second inning, Bard loaded the bases and Famularo drew an RBI walk to take the lead, 5-4. The Knights fought back, reclaiming the lead with two runs in the third. However, their momentum was quickly halted with a double steal attempt by Gonzalez and Webb which created a thrilling game of cat and mouse, buying enough time for Webb to steal home to tie the game 6-6.

Mount Saint Mary regained the lead in the fourth inning, but this is when the tide shifted in Bard's favor. DeBello took a brutal hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded, bringing Azzara home. Then, capitalizing on two wild pitches, Gonzalez and Grosfoguel each stole home, putting the Raptors ahead 9-7 in the bottom of the fifth, with victory seeming within their grasp.

As the sun began to set, signaling a potential stoppage due to fading light, the Knights managed to score two runs in the top of the eighth, tying the game at 9-9. The Raptors had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the eight but the Knight's defense held on. As the sun set the field became unplayable which resulted in a tie. This is the second time in Raptor's program history that the game is stopped due to weather. 

The Raptors will be back on Friday at 3:30 p.m. when they face Skidmore for the conference opening series against the Thoroughbreds at Honey Field.