Troy, NY – With 15 hits in the nightcap, the Clarkson University Baseball team was able to take away a split on its second day against Rensselaer, winning game two 12-9 after succumbing in the opener 10-2 Sunday afternoon at Robison Field.

The Golden Knights halted a five-game losing skid to improve to 8-9 overall and 2-6 in the Liberty League, while Rensselaer saw its record move to 9-9 overall and 6-2 in conference games.

In the first game, RPI scored three times in the top of the first inning, and it was all that the Engineers would need to secure the victory. Clarkson scored one run in the bottom half of the first when Matt Jenack (Massena, NY) worked a walk and then advanced all the way to third on back-to-back wild pitches before David Kinney (Mexico, NY) drove him home on a groundout. That would be all the Knights would get until the seventh inning as Jared Jensen pitched a solid game against Clarkson, going seven innings and allowing only five hits and a walk while striking out six.

RPI scored another run in the fourth on a bases-loaded, no-one out sacrifice fly, but Clarkson was able to wiggle out of that jam unscathed the rest of the inning. However, a solo home run from Kyle LaVigne in the fifth and another two-run shot in the sixth pushed the Engineers lead to nine runs. It wasn’t until Justin Rebhun (East Greenbush, NY) hit a two-out double in the bottom half of the seventh to score Dan Padrazo (Setaucket, NY) that Clarkson would pick up another score, and by then it was too late.

It appeared as if game two would be more of the same as RPI scored four in the top half of the first inning to take an early lead. This time, though, the Knights would chip away and find their offense, scoring twice in the second, three times in the third, and three times in the fourth for an 8-5 lead. In the second, Tim Beninati (Schoharie, NY) singled to center to drive in Padrazo, who led off the inning with a single, and John Coleman then drove in Dan Lenney (Clifton Park, NY) on a groundout. During the third, the Knights got three runs on a Jerry Coleman fielder’s choice, a Beninati single to center, and a Jarrod Mattingly (Philadelphia, NY) single to center. In the fourth, Kinney scored on a wild pitch and Jerry Coleman (Potsdam, NY) drove in a pair with a single to right.

Clarkson’s offense continued to push runs across the plate, tacking on a run in the fifth and sixth innings. Jarrod Mattingly tripled to lead off the bottom half of the fifth and then scored on a John Coleman single, making the score 9-5, and then in the bottom of the sixth, Mattingly singled home Lenney, who had led off the inning with a double. David Wixted (Ballston Lake, NY) drove in a pair with a single in the seventh.

RPI wasn’t done either, however, as LaVigne homered for the third time on the day, pulling the Engineers to within four runs, 12-8, in the eighth inning. With the one out and the bases loaded, the Engineers picked up another run with a walk, but a pair of groundouts ended the threat.

In the top of the ninth inning, freshman Matt Ehrets (Johnson City, NY), who had come on in the eighth inning, allowed a leadoff walk, but got a pair of infield pop ups and induced a groundout to end the game to earn his first career save. Pete Roma (Endicott, NY), who got hit in the early going, stuck around long enough to pitch seven and one-third innings to earn the victory.

Five players had multiple hits in the second game, as Kinney went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and Mattingly was 3-for-5 with a pair driven in. Wixted was 2-for-4 and Padrazo and Beninati each went 2-for-5.