Ephs Defeat RPI 12-5 to Open 2022 Season

TROY, NY- The Williams College baseball team opened their 2022 season at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). RPI jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but the Ephs fought back to secure a decisive 12-5 victory over the Engineers.
 
Eph head coach Bill Barrale was particularly impressed by his first-year players. In his first Collegiate game, Brendan Stannard went three for five, knocking in three runs and belting a home run. Henry Juan, the first year from Big Flats, NY scored 3 times and homered himself. On the mound James Murray impressed by not allowing any runs through three innings and giving up only three hits.
 
Other notable performances came from sophomore Mike Giove who went 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Giove belted a triple and a home run.
 
With two outs in the 1^st inning, Jakob Cohn kept the inning alive with a single to left field. Senior David Discroll got on base with a walk, advancing Cohn to second. With a runner now in scoring position, Stannard connected on a 2-1 count with a hard-hit ground ball, finding the gap the between short and third and bringing in Cohn to give the Ephs an early 1-0 lead.
 
Right-handed junior Sean Hogan then made quick work of the RPI batters, retiring the first three Engineer batters to preserve the 1-0 lead.
 
Vallee followed suit for RPI in the second inning, giving up only one hit as a fly out to left field from Eric Pappas closed the top of inning.
 
Bo Peponis relieved Hogan to start the second for Ephs. The RPI offense was able to find their rhythm. Capitalizing on an Eph throwing error, RPI took a 2-1 lead. Eric Gage then replaced Peponis on the mound and struck out Jack Moncur with bases loaded to get out of the jam and avoid further damage.
 
Following another pitching change for the Ephs, Joe Curci drove in two runs for the Engineers with a double to right center in the 4^th inning, increasing the RPI lead to 4-1.
 
The Ephs struck back in the 6^th inning with back-to-back home runs, including a two-run shot from Stannard and a solo shot from Juan to tie the ballgame at 4. With only one out, Giove cranked a solo home run, reclaiming the lead for Williams 5-4.
 
Williams's bats stayed red hot in the 7^th and they took advantage of 2 RPI errors. David Driscoll brought Cohn home with a double to center field and Juan picked up another RBI, increasing the lead to 7-4. With two outs and runners on first and second, Giove tripled down the right field line, putting the Ephs up 9-4. Giove then raced home on a wild pitch, making it 10-4 Williams.
 
RPI responded by loading the bases with three walks and a sacrifice fly from Ayush Krishnappa cut the lead to 10-5. Unfortunately for the Engineers this would be the last time one of their runners scored.
 
The Ephs padded their lead in the top of the 9^th with a double to left center field from senior Ryan Young, bringing in two runs and upping the lead 12-5. James Murray got the win and Nick Skiera got the save, recording two strikeouts in the process.
 
Overall, Barrale was very impressed with his team's performance, giving credit to the challenge they faced today. "It's tough to go on the road and face a tough team," he described. All around, Barrale thought they played a "clean defensive game" with "good fundamental baseball."
 
Barrale was happy with their pitching as he focused on rotating pitchers in and effort to give more guys game experience while simultaneously keeping everyone rested for the upcoming trip to Florida where the team will compete in twelve games over Spring Break.
 
Next Williams will open their Florida trip SUNY Cobleskill in a double header at 1 PM Sunday, March 20^th at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Florida.