AMSTERDAM, N.Y. – In a late addition to its schedule, Russell Sage College had its four-game winning streak come to an end with Tuesday night's 17-8 home non-conference loss to SUNY Cobleskill.
Junior infielder Jeff Stearnes (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union), announced on Monday as the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week, went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, five RBI and two home runs to lead the Gator bats.
Junior outfielder Brendan Espinal (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa), currently leading the E8 in hitting, went 2-for-3 with a run scored, while junior infielder Dom Caminitti (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) scored two runs.
Trailing 4-3 after three innings following a three-run homer by Stearnes, SUNY Cobleskill (16-20) used a four-run fourth to regain the lead that it would not relinquish. When RSC got within one with a two-run fifth, the Fighting Tigers answered with a three-run sixth, beginning a stretch of ten visiting runs during the sixth, seventh, and eighth.
SUNY Cobleskill was led by freshman catcher Zach Papanikolatos and junior infielder Stephen Tejada. The backstop went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI, while Tejada set the table out of the leadoff spot to the tune of four hits, four runs scored, a homer, and three RBI.
RSC (20-14) is back on the diamond tomorrow night at 7:00 pm at Union.
Gator Bites: Now its third season as a program, RSC looks to continue to climb the Empire 8 Conference ladder in 2024…The Gators, which returned all 10 starters, were the runner-up in the 2023 E8 Championship Tournament…RSC secured its third appearance in the E8 Championship Tournament by sweeping three games at Keuka April 27 and 28…The double elimination Tournament begins May 9 and will be hosted by either Russell Sage College, Saint John Fisher, or Houghton…Outfielder James Lubanski (Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber), a grad student, and junior pitcher Liam Doyle (West Sayville, NY/Connetquot) headlined the returnees…Lubanski, who holds the program single-season and career records for RBI, was named third-team All-Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association, while Doyle, a righty, topped RSC in innings pitched and ERA last spring…Espinal was selected the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 10…He slashed .559/.941/.595 during the team's Florida trip…Espinal totaled 12 runs scored, 10 RBI, 32 bases, and six doubles across the nine games…The junior commenced the week tops in the E8 with a .473 batting average...Left-hander Matthew Denatale (Rhinebeck, NY/Rhinebeck), a grad student, took home E8 Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, April 14…The southpaw allowed just one earned run and four hits across 8.0 innings in the win at Utica on April 14…A pair of Gators earned E8 weekly awards for the period ending Sunday, April 28...Denatale was chosen the E8 Pitcher of the Week, while Stearnes took home Player of the Week honors...Stearnes slashed .500/.750/.505 across five games last week...He hit .625 with 11 RBI, six runs scored, and three doubles to help the Gators go 4-0 against E8 competition and secure a spot in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament...DeNatale made two appearances totaling 10.0 innings and earned a win and a save...The lefty allowed just three earned runs and whiffed four Keuka batters across eight innings in a E8 road victory on April 28...Two days earlier, he locked down the RSC 9-7 win at SJFU, tossing two shutout innings and permitting just three Cardinals to reach base, only one via a hit...Junior outfielder Jared Russell (Colonie, NY/Colonie) began the week with 27 stolen bases, most by an RSC player in a single-season, while Stearnes opened the final week of E8 regular season play ranked fourth in the Conference with a .390 batting average.
Gator Golf: The 19th Annual Gator Golf Classic will be held May 31, 2024. More Information: https://www.
