AUBURN, N.Y. - Senior Jared Jensen threw 7.2 shutout innings to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team to a 2-0 victory over Keystone College, this evening in NCAA New York Regional action at Falcon Park. With the win, the Engineers improve to 27-15 and advance to play the winner of the game between Baldwin-Wallace and Old Westbury, tomorrow night at 7:45pm. The Giants drop to 31-13 and face the loser of that contest at 1:15pm.

Jensen (Kingston, NY/Kingston) scattered seven hits over 7.2 innings, striking out a season-high nine batters without a walk. He gave way to classmate Sean Conroy (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) with a runner on first base and two outs in the 8th. Conroy proceeded to pick up a strikeout to end the inning, before tossing a scoreless 9th for his first save of the season.

The Engineers scored the only two runs of the game in the top of the first inning. Senior captain Tyler Listing (West Sand Lake, NY/Averill Park) was hit by a pitch for a team-leading 20th time to lead off the frame. Jensen followed with a bloop single to left, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. Classmate Tim LeSuer (Oak View, CA/Nordoff) then dropped down a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled by Keystone junior pitcher Jesse Arnold (Port St. Lucie, FL/Treasure Coast), loading the bases. 

Senior shortstop Nick Palmiero (Patterson, NY/Carmel) grounded into a double play, which scored a run, but left just a runner on third with two outs. Sophomore Thomas Desmond (Alamo, CA/De LaSalle) then came through with an RBI-single to center, that fell just out of the reach of a diving Gaston Rojas (Carmel, NY/Carmel), plating Jensen easily from third for a 2-0 advantage.

Keystone threatened in the third, putting runners on the corners with two away, but the Giants attempted a double-steal and Rojas was tagged out between first and second before the run could come across.

A double by sophomore Jason Ramos (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) was followed by a four-pitch walk to Nick Annunziata (Neshanic Station, NJ/St. Joseph) with one out in the 4th. A fly out and a single loaded the bases, but Listing popped out to the catcher to end the scoring chance.

Giants senior first baseman Kevin Luciano (Everett, MA/Cambridge Utesianode Estudios Integrados) doubled with one out in the bottom of the 4th, before advancing to third on a groundout. Jensen was able to strike out junior shortstop Nate Ross (Albuquerque, NM/La Cueva) to stamp out the threat.

Both pitchers settled into respective grooves throughout the middle innings. Jensen struck out the last man he faced in the 8th, before giving way to Conroy, who finished with three strikeouts and one walk in 1.2 innings.

Luciano went 2 for 3, while classmates Chris Bzozowski (Westampton, NJ/Bishop Eustace) and Anthony Muccio (Tarrytown, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) were both 1 for 3. 

The Engineers saw six different players record hits, including Jensen, who was 1 for 4 with a run scored. Fellow senior Shane Matthews (Ballston Spa, NY/Saratoga Catholic) was 1 for 2 with a walk.

With the win, RPI has now opened with victories in 10 of 19 Regionals all-time. The shutout was the first suffered by Keystone in 2015.