Gators Wrap up Non-Conference Schedule with 16-8 victory over Skidmore
Russell Sage College baseball wrapped up their non-conference schedule on Tuesday as they took down capital region rival Skidmore 16-8. The game, which was scheduled for nine innings, was called due to rain one out into the bottom of the eighth, long enough to be classified as a complete game.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 0 |
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7 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | X | 16 | 11 | 2 |
ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College baseball wrapped up their non-conference schedule on Tuesday as they took down capital region rival Skidmore 16-8. The game, which was scheduled for nine innings, was called due to rain one out into the bottom of the eighth, long enough to be classified as a complete game.
The Gators (23-12/16-5 E8) put up seven runs in the bottom of the first, headlined by a bases-clearing triple by junior Colin Casey (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro/Saint Rose). Senior Evan Grimes (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) drove in a pair on a base hit, while senior Jorge Oropeza (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena High School) and junior Anthony Rizzo (Latham, NY/Shaker/HVCC) both produced a run with a single.
RSC tacked on another three in the bottom of the fourth on another RBI single from Oropeza and a two-RBI knock from Guzman.
The hosts continued the big innings in the sixth, scoring another five, two of those coming from the fifth homerun of the season by senior Jeff Stearns (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union).
Junior pitcher Aidan Green (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro/Onondaga CC), who was named Empire 8 Conference pitcher of the week on Monday, got the win as he punched out three in three innings of work out of the bullpen.
Skidmore (18-15-2) plated three of their runs on the big fly, with a two-run shot from Eddie Galvao and a two-run homer from Ewen Donald.
Looking ahead, RSC wraps up conference play this weekend with a three-game series against Elmira.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: RSC, in only its fourth season as a program, looks to build upon the most successful season in program history in 2025…Coming off a 16-2 record in Empire 8 Conference play and an E8 Regular Season Championship, the Gators return 25 players to go along with 18 newcomers…RSC got off to a 12-0 start in E8 play the spring…The Gators clinched a spot in the E8 Championship Tournament for the fourth time with an April 23rd win vs. SUNY Poly…Graduate outfielder James Lubanski (Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber), senior infielder Jeff Stearns (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union), graduate pitcher Joe DeGroot (Clay, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), and senior pitcher/outfielder Evan Grimes (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) highlight the returners…Lubanski, Stearns, and Grimes made first team All-E8 conference, while DeGroot found himself on the second team…Four others earned all-conference honors in 2024, including senior outfielder Jared Russell (Colonie, NY/Colonie), who was named third team All-E8… Junior infielder Anthony Rizzo (Latham, NY/Shaker/HVCC), junior catcher Colin Casey (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro/Saint Rose), and graduate pitcher Freddie Callo (Milton, NY/Marlboro/Utica) headline the newcomers that Head Coach Nick Pontari brought in…Pontari and his staff were named E8 Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024…Stearns was selected the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 16…He hit .435 with 10 runs scored, two homers, and 10 RBI across six games…DeGroot was chosen the E8 Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 30…He allowed just one hit across six shutout innings to help RSC start E8 play 3-0 at Houghton…Junior Xavier Garcia (Greenfield Center, NY/Saratoga Springs/SUNY Adirondack) was selected the E8 Pitcher of the Week for the periods ending Sunday, April 6 and Sunday, April 13…The lefty allowed zero earned runs and struck out 11 Keuka batters across six innings of work in the home win on April 4…He then tossed seven shutout innings to get the win on April 11 vs. Alfred…Garcia allowed just one hit and whiffed 12 Saxon batters to move to 3-0 in his RSC debut spring…Numerous Gators have hit career milestones this season…Lubanksi surpassed the 100 career RBI mark during the three-game series sweep of Alfred…In April, senior outfielder Leandro Guzman (New Britain, CT/New Britain), Russell and senior infielder Zachary Figueras (Apopka, FL/Windermere) each tallied career hit number 100…On the mound, senior relief pitcher Jaylen Cuevas (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) became the second Gator to record 100 career strikeouts while saving a 4-2 victory vs. Gordon on March 14…The E8 Championship Tournament will commence on Tuesday, May 6 with a first round contest between the teams seeded fifth and sixth…The double-elimination portion of the bracket, held at the regular season champion, begins on Thursday, May 8.
