AMSTERDAM, N.Y. – Russell Sage College baseball starting pitcher Joe Degroot (Clay, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) threw a complete game on Friday night against Houghton, punching out five Highlanders in the Empire 8 conference victory.
The grad student improved his perfect pitching record to a conference best 6-0 in the win. Degroot took advantage of some stellar defense by infielder Dom Caminitti (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac), who made two web gems to take away hits from the Highlanders.
The Gators (21-15, 14-2 E8) scored in four different innings to secure the first of two wins needed to claim the number one seed in the Empire 8 conference tournament next weekend.
Outfielder Jared Russell (Colonie, NY/Colonie) led the way with the bats, sealing the deal on the victory with his seventh inning RBI-triple. The junior followed his three-bagger by scoring the Gators ninth and final run of the night on a wild pitch. Russell finished his night with two hits and two RBI's, driving in a run on a fielder's choice in the opening frame. The program's leader in career and single-season stolen bases scored three runs and increased his steal total by one.
Junior infielder Nick Marsella (New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park Memorial) contributed two big hits in the victory. Marsella brought home the reigning Empire 8 player of the week Jeff Stearns (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union) in the fourth and scored Russell and junior pitcher/outfielder Evan Grimes (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) two innings later.
Stearnes, Grimes, and junior catcher Cole Paro (Wolfeboro NH/Kingswood Regional) all added singles to the scorebook.
Houghton College (15-17, 9-5 E8), who has clinched a spot in the Empire 8 conference tournament, saw a three-hit performance from infielder Kanta Ueno and two knocks off the bat of Ty Kenney.
RSC wraps up their season on Saturday with the final two games of the three-game set against Houghton.
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…Junior outfielder Brendan Espinal (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) 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…Espinal 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 junior infielder Jeff Stearns (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union) 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 Stearns opened the final week of E8 regular season play ranked four 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.
