HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Russell Sage College baseball opened up its Empire 8 conference slate with a 10-9 victory over Houghton on Friday.
The Gators (7-7/1-0 E8) trailed 6-3 heading into the top of the sixth inning, where they plated six runs to propel them to their first E8 victory of the season.
Jeff Stearns (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union), the 2024 E8 conference leader in home runs, continued where he left off with a solo shot in the fourth inning. The senior added an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the six-run sixth inning.
Stearns was one of three Gators with a pair of RBI's, as junior infielder Anthony Rizzo (Latham, NY/Shaker/HVCC) and senior outfielder Leandro Guzman (New Britain, CT/New Britain) each plated two in the victory.
Junior Richie Tamsett (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie/HVCC) picked up his first win of the season, striking out four in three innings of work out of the bullpen, while senior Jaylen Cuevas (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) closed it down to secure his second save of the season.
Houghton (10-6/2-2 E8) were headlined offensively by Nate Hall, who drove in three runs.
"Every conference game is a grind," shared Head Coach Nick Pontari following the victory. "Tonight was a good team win. We're excited to get going in conference play, and look forward to tomorrow's first game!"
Looking ahead, RSC wraps up the conference opener series back at Houghton for two more on Saturday.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: RSC 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 a regular season championship, the Gators return 25 players to go along with 18 newcomers…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) and senior catcher Cole Paro (Wolfeboro NH/Kingswood Regional), who were both 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 Head Coach Nick Pontari brought in…Pontari and his staff were named E8 Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024.
