Gators Start Weekend Series Against Keuka With Victory
Russell Sage College baseball kicked off its Empire 8 Conference series against Keuka on Friday, defeating the Wolves 14-5 and picking up their tenth straight victory.
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0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 2 |
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TROY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College baseball kicked off its Empire 8 Conference series against Keuka on Friday, defeating the Wolves 14-5 and picking up their tenth straight victory.
RSC's bats continued to produce, headlined on Friday by sophomore Mitch Neer (Newburgh, NY/Marlboro), who had three extra base hits including a solo homerun and three runs batted in.
Senior Anthony Rizzo (Latham, NY/Shaker/HVCC) also had three hits, driving in a pair of runs in the effort, while senior Colin Casey (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro/Saint Rose) joined the homer party, popping his first of the season as one of his two hits.
The Gators held a 10-3 lead in the bottom of the 8th inning, when freshman Nick Schmidt (Balmville, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) came up with the bases loaded and deposited a ball over the outfield fence, the second grand slam RSC has hit this week.
Senior Evan Grimes (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) got the start on Friday afternoon, punching out seven batters while allowing just two earned runs to pick up his third pitching victory of the season.
"There were some really good moments today where guys stepped up. Mitch Neer was fantastic at the plate today and is one of the hardest workers we have. Seeing guys like him, Chicaway, Rizzo, and Dengler take steps forward this year and begin to trust their training has been great to see. Another great moment for Nick Schmidt who came off the bench to hit late in the game. It's great to see our group stay invested throughout the game," shared Head Coach Matt Marsh. "We still need to continue to grow as a team and execute more of the fundamentals defensively and within situational hitting. In every game there are things to learn and we learned more today and will continue to work to be better in the future."
RSC (16-3/5-0 E8) returns to the diamond tomorrow to complete their series with Keuka in a doubleheader.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: Russell Sage College Baseball is in its first season under the direction of Head Coach Matt Marsh…The Gators are coming off a 27-15 record and a trip to the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament Finals last year…19 returners combine with 18 newcomers on this year's squad…Senior pitcher/outfielder Evan Grimes (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa/SUNY Adirondack), senior catcher Collin Casey (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro/Saint Rose), and senior pitcher Xavier Garcia (San Diego, CA/Saratoga Springs/SUNY Adirondack) headline the returners…Grimes garnered a multitude of honors after last season, being named to the First-Team in the Empire 8 and Second-Team All-Region from the ACBA…Casey was named second-team All-Empire 8 for the 2025 campaign… Senior infielder Joseph Karpierz (Latham, NY/Shaker/Xavier), junior infielder Jayden Kennedy (East Patchogue, NY/Patchogue Medford/HVCC), and junior pitcher Tyler Murray (East Greenbush, NY/Columbia/HVCC) highlight the newcomers… Grimes was named the Empire 8 Conference Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 1...The lefty registered an eleven strikeout performance across 5.2 innings in the 2-0 season-opening win vs. Mount Saint Vincent on February 28...The All-Region performer allowed just two hits and two walks to help the Gators begin their season in the win column...Karpierz was selected the Empire 8 Conference Baseball Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 15...The infielder batted .522 (12/23) with nine runs scored and 13 RBI across six games...Karpierz, who slugged .826, reached base at a 58.1 percent clip...He tallied five doubles and went 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts...Grimes was named the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 22...He hit .529 with nine RBI in the 4-0 week...The senior, who scored three runs and totaled 16 bases, slugged .941 and reached base at a .556 rate...Garcia was named the Empire 8 Conference Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 22...The senior allowed three hits and zero earned runs to earn the win against Western New England on March 21.
