Fishkill, NY - A string of hits in the first game and opportunistic baserunning in game two led the Clarkson University Baseball team to a sweep of Vassar College on Wednesday afternoon as the Golden Knights picked up 7-3 and 6-0 Liberty League wins at Dutchess Stadium.
The Golden Knights earned their first victories of the season to improve to 2-2 in conference and 2-11 overall after a rough start began with an overly ambitious schedule in Florida. Clarkson looks to continue on the winning and learning curves this weekend in a non-league doubleheader against Utica College. The Brewers fell to 1-11 overall and 0-6 in the Liberty League.
In the first game, the Golden Knights led just 1-0 after three innings, but a flurry of baserunners gave the Knights a four-run fourth. Seniors Brian Theilemann (Troy, NY) and TJ Brinkman (Troy, NY) led off the frame with walks before Mike Bresett (Norwood, NY), Brady Torbitt (Fulton, NY), Zach Richardson (Parishville, NY) and Ralph Rizzo (Bohemia, NY) each followed with singles, three of those hits plating runs. Freshman Mike Armstrong (Penfield, NY) grounded out to send another run home for a 5-0 Clarkson lead.
In the top of the fifth inning, Clarkson starting pitcher Darrell Carey (Dade City, FL) began to waver somewhat with his control and allowed three runs to come in, cutting the lead to 5-3. With two outs, freshman Steve Magovney (Watertown, NY), working in his seventh appearance of the season through only 12 games, wiggled out of a jam with a strikeout to end the inning. He cruised from there and earned the victory after the Knights scored two more runs in the seventh on singles from Brinkman and Bresett.
In the second game, the outcome was never in doubt as sophomore pitcher Greg Chojecki (West Seneca, NY) showed promising stuff from his first pitches. Mixing in an assortment of well-placed fastballs and breaking stuff, the sophomore scattered six hits over seven innings and struck out six without allowing a walk. Clarkson's offense provided two runs in the fourth inning without earning a hit, but scored four more runs in the fifth as Brett Peplowski (Albany, NY) singled home two runs and saw his pinch-runner, Sal DiSanza (Elbridge, NY) score on a hit from Zach Richardson. Catcher Ryan Glavin (Syracuse, NY) plated the Knights fourth run of the inning when he let Richardson trot home from third base on a single to the outfield.
