ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College baseball had nine different batters in the hits column on Friday as they beat Keuka 14-1.
The Gators (11-7/5-0 E8) gave more than enough run support to starting pitcher Xavier Garcia (Greenfield Center, NY/Saratoga Springs/SUNY Adirondack) who twirled a gem, punching out eleven Wolves in six innings of one-run ball.
RSC tallied ten runs in the third and fourth innings in the victory, headlined by a bases-clearing double by senior Zachary Figueras (Apopka, FL/Windermere) in the third and a bases-clearing triple by junior Colin Casey (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro/Saint Rose) in the fourth.
James Lubanski (Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber), a grad student, tallied a game-high four hits while junior Anthony Rizzo (Latham, NY/Shaker/HVCC) had three hits in the win. Senior outfielder Jared Russell (Colonie, NY/Colonie) had two hits, and senior Jeff Stearns (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union) joined the offensive party with a pair of RBI's.
Keuka (9-11/3-6 E8) scored their lone run on a RBI-double from John Valinoti in the fourth inning.
Looking ahead, RSC is slated to continue their series against Keuka on Sunday.
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.
