Poughkeepsie - Less than twenty four hours after a blown save in game two of the Vassar College baseball team’s home and Liberty league opening double header which led to its suspension due to darkness, freshman Dave Robbins - now playing second base - stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning in the resumed game and found redemption with a single swing of the bat. Robbins’ resounding single in Vassar’s first frame of extra innings drove in senior first baseman Joe Bubar from second for a walk-off win, earning a split of the first of two double headers with Clarkson University at Prentiss Baseball Field on Sunday.
Clarkson was quick to move past the loss, however, and bounced back to win the first game of the second double header on Sunday when sophomore reliever Zander Mrlik walked freshman centerfielder David Wixted with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th. In the second game, Clarkson rode a pair of early runs and a six-run fifth and withstood a furious Vassar rally late to sweep the doubleheader. With the suspended game concluded, and the doubleheader in the books, the Brewers move to 5-5 (1-3 Liberty League), while the Golden Knights move to 7-5 (3-1 Liberty League). The Brewers will next face Old Westbury at home on Wednesday, March 30th at 4 p.m. and the Golden Knights stay on the road to face University of Rochester in a double header on Saturday, April 2nd starting at 1 p.m.
With the score tied at three apiece in the bottom of the 7th (and final scheduled) inning of the first full game, junior right fielder Sal Costanzo came up with a brilliant piece of defensive heroics by throwing out the game winning run at the plate, keeping the inning alive and allowing junior starting pitcher Scott Allen to finish the frame.
Allen, who turned in a big pitching effort after earning the win on the suspended game, lasted 8 innings before being relieved by Mrlik in the 9th, allowing only three earned runs on 7 Clarkson hits. Allen winds up with a no decision in the contest, while Mrlik falls to 1-1. For the Golden Knights, junior David Kinney - who moved from third to the mound to pitch the final 1.2 innings - earns the win, improving to 1-0 on the season. Clarkson’s starter, senior Vincent Baldwin, allowed all three of Vassar’s runs on seven hits and was chased after four innings, ultimately receiving a no decision on the contest.
In the second game of the double header, the third game of the day, Clarkson managed to score a run in each of the first two innings before putting up a six spot in the bottom of the 5th to give them an eight run lead which proved just barely enough to survive the Brewers’ comeback attempt.
In the top of the sixth, the Brewers worked into way into a bases loaded situation with no outs before a bloop single into right field by Costanzo started the Vassar scoring. Freshman DH Brett Zaziski, senior right fielder Devin Lungo and sophomore left fielder Sean Morash chipped in with RBIs in the 5 run inning. Vassar would add two more in the top of the 7th inning, but a risky base running decision by Costanzo on a would-be sacrifice fly for Luongo resulted in a game ending double-play, with Vassar coming up just a run short.
Freshman pitcher Joe Lovizio winds up with the loss, after allowing all eight Clarkson runs off of 12 hits in his 5 inning outing, dropping to 1-2. For the Golden Knights, sophomore starter Bryan Chudy earned the win, moving to 2-1, while Kinney earned his first save of the season.
