Gators Use Sharp Pitching to Defeat Wildcats
Russell Sage College baseball used sharp pitching to defeat SUNY Poly 15-1 in Wednesday's Empire 8 Conference action.
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ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College baseball used sharp pitching to defeat SUNY Poly 15-1 in Wednesday's Empire 8 Conference action.
Four arms combined to keep the Wildcat offense to just one run on two hits. Junior Connor Griffin (Jersey Shore, PA/Jersey Shore/Lock Haven) got the start as the opener, lowering his conference leading ERA to 0.78 with a pair of scoreless innings. The two-way punched out two and did not surrender a hit.
Senior Xavier Garcia (San Diego, CA/Saratoga Springs/SUNY Adirondack) followed, allowing just one run across three innings of work while striking out three. Senior Greg Mays (Troy, NY/Tamarac/SUNY Cortland) and sophomore Asa Dugan (Morris, NY/Morris Central) both recorded one strikeout in scoreless frames to secure RSC's 13th straight win.
The Gators offense, which has scored in double-digits in nine straight contests, had four hitters contribute multiple knocks in the victory.
Freshman Nick Irizarry (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) led the way, driving in four and swiping two bags with his two hits. Sophomore Darren Dengler (Hobart, NY/South Kortright) blasted his third home run of the year and hit a single on the way to driving in two runs.
Griffin and sophomore Mitch Neer (Newburgh, NY/Marlboro) each drove in a run with two hits, while senior Joseph Karpierz (Latham, NY/Shaker/Xavier), the E8's leader in batting average, drove in two runs with a single.
"Today's win felt huge, it showed how locked in we are as a team and how we're executing in big moments," shared Garcia after his third pitching victory of the year. "It keeps our momentum rolling in conference play, and with 13 straight now, we're carrying a lot of confidence into this weekend."
The Gators (19-3/8-0 E8) continue conference play this weekend with a three-game set against Alfred
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…19 returners combine with 18 newcomers on this year's squad…Senior pitcher/outfielder Evan Grimes (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa/SUNY Adirondack), senior catcher Colin 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 E8 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 E8 Baseball Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 15...He batted .522 (12/23) with nine runs scored and 13 RBI across six games...The infielder, who slugged .826 and reached base at a 58.1 percent clip, 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…The Gators received seven votes in the March 31st edition of the ABCA Division III Coaches Poll, the first time receiving votes in program history…Grimes was named the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, April 5...The senior hit .385 with 17 RBI in the 7-0 week including a walk-off grand slam against Houghton...On the mound, the lefty went 2-0 with 16 strikeouts across 13 innings...The Gators started the spring with an 18-3 record, 7-0 of which was in E8 play…Karpierz heads into Wednesday's game vs. SUNY Poly leading the Conference in hitting at .481…The infielder, who has helped RSC bat .329 as a team, topped the E8 with a .564 on-base percentage and 35 runs scored…Grimes is among the Conference leaders at the plate and on the mound…The southpaw began the week leading the E8 with 43 strikeouts across 32.0 innings, the third-most on the circuit…He is second in the Conference with four triples, and third with three homers and 33 RBI… Freshman utility Nick Irizarry (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) has been setting the table effectively, swiping bases on 23 of his first 24 collegiate stolen base attempts… Senior Aidan Green (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro/Onondaga CC) and junior Connor Griffin (Jersey Shore, PA/Jersey Shore/Lock Haven) have started the spring strong on the mound…Griffin (2-0) has registered a 0.86 ERA thus far, the best in the E8…Opponents are batting just .176 off of the transfer from Lock Haven, the worst off of any Conference hurler…Green commenced the week fourth in the E8 with 30.2 innings pitched…He tallied 25 strikeouts, one complete game, and a 3.23 ERA to start his spring at 3-0.
