Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – The third-seeded Clarkson University baseball team came back from a five-run deficit in the fifth inning to beat fourth-seed Skidmore College, 9-7, this afternoon in Liberty League Tournament play. With the win the Golden Knights improve to 20-18 overall and advance to game six of the tournament tomorrow (11am). The Thoroughbreds fall to 22-20 and will take on top-seeded Rensselaer in an elimination game at 4:30pm.

Junior Brady Torbitt (Fulton, NY/Mexico) drove in two of the five fifth-inning runs with a single up the middle. Senior first baseman Matt Holiday (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden) added an RBI-groundout to complete the scoring in the inning.

Junior second baseman Matt Curry (Richland, NY/Pulaski) delivered the go-ahead double in the sixth, before Austin Pitkin (Dexter, NY/General Brown) homered to give Clarkson a 9-6 lead.

Two Skidmore doubles in the top of the ninth plated the final run of the game as Clarkson reliever Vincent Baldwin (Catskill, NY/Catskill) was able to retire Rob Rubenstein (Highland Park, NJ/Highland Park) to end the game. Baldwin (1-3) earned the victory pitching 4.0 innings in relief.

The Thoroughbreds plated two first-inning runs on a single by Mike Jaffe (Wynnewood, PA/Lower Merion), which scored Brian Lowry (West Hartford, CT/St. George's) and Jake Mendell (St. George, VT/Champlain Valley) from second and third, respectively.

Clarkson got one back in the bottom of the second, when David Kinney (Mexico, NY/Mexico) followed a Cale Giroux (Cortland, NY/Groton) double with a run-scoring single.

Skidmore built a 6-1 with runs in the third, forth and fifth innings, highlighted by a squeeze bunt by Mendell that scored Zach Brown (Victor, NY/Victor) from third. The Golden Knights then put up the five-run inning that tied the game at 6-6.