Two RIT rallies left the Clarkson University Baseball team with a 0-2 start to the first conference weekend of the season on Friday in Rochester, NY.

The Golden Knights are now 3-9 overall and 0-2 in conference while the Tigers improve to 6-5 with a 2-0 Liberty League mark.

The first game of the day was a classic pitcher's duel. Senior Ian Castle made the start for Clarkson and had a shutout going through the first six innings. The Golden Knights backed their pitcher with the first run of the game in the top of the fourth. Chris Miller led the inning off with a walk and then took second on an error by the RIT first baseman. Greg Jasek followed with a single to move Miller to third base. Two batters later Miller trotted home on a single up the middle by Will Coleman.

That was the only run scored heading into the bottom of the seventh. With RIT down to its last at-bat, the Tigers had been able to collect just three hits on Castle, with the Clarkson hurler racking up six strikeouts. However, after getting the first out of the inning, RIT put a man on first through a hit batter and then used two consecutive singles to load the bases.

Clarkson brought Coleman from second base to the pitcher's mound hoping to get the final two outs of the game, but the first batter that Coleman faced singled to score the game-tying and game-winning runs.

Miller and Jasek were the only Clarkson hitters to reach base twice with Miller walking to go with a single and Jasek collecting a pair of singles. Coleman and Ben Knauf had the other two hits for Clarkson.

In the second game of the day, RIT took the lead first with a run in the bottom of the first inning and two more in the third. Clarkson struck back with a big inning in the fourth. Coleman started the rally by reaching on an error followed quickly by a Paddy Defino walk. The pair moved up to second and third on a wild pitch and then Coleman scored on a Knauf RBI single. Connor Martin kept the string going with a single to right field that brought Defino home. A sacrifice bunt by Dom Pirro was the first out of the inning, but it moved both Knauf and Martin into scoring position. Knauf scored when Anthony Padrazo lifted a pitch to left field for a sacrifice fly. Miller then doubled to score Martin with Jasek's single scoring Miller for the fifth and final run of the inning.

RIT got one run back in the bottom of the fourth, but the Tigers rally started in earnest in the bottom of the sixth. Three hits in the sixth scored four RIT runs and then another three runs scored in the seventh. RIT added one more run in the eighth for the final margin of 12-5.

Miller, Jasek, and Knauf all had two hits for Clarkson and Defino walked three times. Eddie Miller pitched the first five innings, allowing six runs on six hits and six walks with four strikeouts, taking the loss. Ted Wilson Joe Rooney, Ethan Kornbrek, and Ryan Riley each pitched in relief for Clarkson.

The Green and Gold will have two more shots at the Tigers tomorrow with the first game starting at noon.