Potsdam, NY – A more fitting opening for the newly unveiled Jack Phillips Stadium at Snell Field could not have been planned as the Clarkson University Baseball team swept a vital doubleheader from St. Lawrence University on Saturday afternoon, claiming a pair of victories 6-2 and 8-5.
The Golden Knights improved to 17-16 overall and 9-9 in the Liberty League standings, while St. Lawrence fell to 17-15 and 10-9. With the wins, Clarkson passed the Saints in the conference standings thanks to the league’s doubleheader rule. Clarkson is now considered 12-10 while the Saints are considered to have a record of 11-11. Skidmore is also tied with St. Lawrence after being swept by Rensselaer on Saturday, with a record of 11-11.
Between games of the doubleheader against the Saints, the Clarkson University Athletic department officially renamed the ballpark at Snell Field “Jack Phillips Stadium.” In a stirring ceremony, Phillips was sent out to home plate and a formal introduction of the refurbishing project was made in his honor. An inaugural Clarkson Athletic Hall of Fame member, Phillips has spent almost 70 years as a goodwill ambassador for Clarkson and its athletic programs.
The scoring opened in the bottom of the second inning when junior Austin Pitkin (Dexter, NY) chased home base runners Matt Holiday (Syracuse, NY) and Brady Torbitt (Fulton, NY) with a towering home run to centerfield, giving Clarkson a 3-0 lead. St. Lawrence would respond with a run in the top of the third and another in the fourth, but the Golden Knights would extend their advantage with a pair of runs in the fifth inning as both Mike Bresett (Norwood, NY) and Torbitt delivered run-scoring doubles to give Clarkson a 5-2 lead. Another insurance run would be added in the sixth inning when Sam Grainger (Bedford, MA), who led off the inning with a double, advanced home on a balk.
Torbitt finished 2-for-3 in the game with a run and an RBI, while Grainger also was 2-for-3. Joel Kocan was the lone St. Lawrence player to record two hits, going 2-for-4.
Rick Bittner (Lancaster, NY) started for the Knights, but was out of the game by the fourth inning, giving way for freshman reliever Jake Groszewski (Rochester, NY), who pitched the final three-plus innings to pick up his first collegiate victory. He gave up just two hits in three and a third while striking out one. Steve Bodnar took the loss for the Saints.
In game two, St. Lawrence came out with two runs in the top of the second inning, one coming around on a three-base throwing error and another scoring that runner from third with a follow up single. Clarkson responded with two in the bottom of the next three innings, highlighted by a two-run opposite-field bomb from Pitkin in the third. The Knights added a seventh run in the fifth inning as Matt Giordano (Liverpool, NY) hit a triple to right-center and was sent home immediately on a sacrifice fly from Matt Curry (Richland, NY). St. Lawrence cut the Clarkson lead back down to four in the top of the sixth as Kirt Broedel delivered a single past the glove of a diving Matt Curry to plate Garrett Fitzgerald, but the Saints gave the run right back in the bottom of the sixth as Brady Torbitt circled the bases on a fielder’s choice, stolen base, error, and a wild pitch. St. Lawrence scored twice in the ninth inning, but the Knights squashed the rally late to earn the win.
Giordano, Bresett, and Cale Giroux (Cortland, NY), who came off the bench in the third inning, each had two hits for the Knights. Tim Harris, Charles Cannan, and Joe Shehata each recorded multi-hit games for St. Lawrence.
Greg Chojecki (West Seneca, NY) threw seven strong innings to pick up his team-high fifth victory of the season, allowing seven hits and striking out six. Mike Root took the loss for the Saints, going three-plus innings before being removed for a reliever.
