SLU Finishes Off Weekend Sweep With 14-Inning Win over UR

PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – University of Rochester baseball dropped the final game of its weekend series against the St. Lawrence University Saints, 8-3, in 14 innings on Saturday afternoon at Towers Field.

Both sides would combine to put up several zeros on the scoreboard over the first 11 frames, combining for just four runs on 16 hits.

Sam Loeb got the start for URochester and worked around a pair of two-out singles in the first, holding the Saints to just one run over six hits over his four innings of work.

St. Lawrence squeaked out the game's first run in the top of the second inning on three-straight singles by Riley Reimund, John Donnellan and Eoin Morrissey, but Loeb got Jack Finnegan to ground into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play to keep the Saints from extending their lead any further.

Then, after Joe LaPrade cruised through the first four frames, holding the Yellowjackets to just two hits, URochester would break through to tie things up in the bottom of the fifth.

Jake Goldberg beat out an infield single to lead off the bottom of the fifth, stole second and took third on an errant throw from Donnellan behind home plate.

A batter later, LaPrade struck out

Ryan Huckabone to record the second out, but

Logan Mathias blooped a single to left, scoring Goldberg to knot the score at 1-1.

And after

Derek Llanes, who relieved Loeb to start the fifth, worked around a leadoff double to pitch another scoreless frame, the Yellowjackets would take the lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Just two pitches into the frame,

Sammy Besztery took LaPrade's 0-1 pitch deep to left field for a home run, just eluding the glove of Eddie Morrissey to give Rochester a 2-1 lead.

That lead would hold till the top of the eighth when Finnegan legged out an inside-the-park home run, tying the score at two-all on a ball that just eluded the reach of centerfielder

Teddy Monahan.

Rochester then looked to respond in the bottom of the eighth, but Besztery was left stranded at second base after back-to-back strikeouts by Nathan Jackson.

Both teams would then go 1-2-3 in the ninth to send the game to extras, where both teams put a runner on in the 10th, but could not score.

In the 11th,

Theo Beckley and Jackson both set their opponents down in order, but the Saints would get to Beckley in the top of the 12th. Reimund again got the Saints going with a leadoff double, while Donnellan followed with a bunt single, putting runners at first and third with nobody out.

Up next, Max Cloutier reached on an error to give St. Lawrence a 3-2 lead, but with runners at second and third and just one out, Beckley got a groundout with the infield in and a flyout to keep the Saints from extending their lead any further.

And in the bottom of the 12th, the Yellowjackets would answer back, as Monahan reached on a throwing error and

Randy Davis singled, putting two on with just one out for Mathias. But while Mathias would tie things up with an RBI double, Jackson somehow worked out of the inning without allowing another run, sending the two sides to the 13th inning.

Ryan Balent relieved Beckley to start the 13th, and worked around a leadoff walk, while Jackson settled back in and pitched another 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the inning.

In the top of the 14th, though, the Saints would break through once again, this time scoring five runs on four hits, chasing Balent after Nolan Widrick's RBI single, while RBI singles by Gabe Albertson and Ethan Harris pushed St. Lawrence's lead to four.

Christopher Trucano relieved Balent, but the Saints would add four more, the last coming on as Donnellan reached on a fielding error to take an 8-3 lead. Jackson then closed things out in the bottom of the 14th, working around a pair of base runners to seal the 8-3, extra-inning victory.

With the win, St. Lawrence finishes off the weekend sweep to move to 10-8 (5-3 LL) on the year, while the Yellowjackets drop to 8-14 (1-8 LL) with the loss.

Jackson (2-0) earned the win for SLU, allowing one unearned run on four hits, walking two and striking out seven over 7.0 innings pitched. Balent (0-1) took the loss for Rochester, allowing four runs on two hits and three walks over 1.2 innings pitched.

Mathias led Rochester offensively, going 3-for-6 with two RBI, while Barajas and Goldberg each added two hits.

The 'Jackets are back in action next Saturday, April 11, when they open another three-game, conference set against Union College with a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m.