Troy, NY: The Cobleskill Fighting Tigers put on a power display but came up short on the road, falling 11-8 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) after a pivotal five-run seventh inning turned the tide in favor of the Engineers.
Logan Firment (Andes, NY/South Kortright) was the star of the day for the Tigers, going yard twice in a monster performance. Firment's two home runs, two RBIs, and three runs scored fueled the Cobleskill offense as he finished 2-for-4 at the dish.
Jesus Sarda (Colonie, NY) chipped in with his first home run of the season, while
Zach Papanikolatos (Patchogue, NY/Patchogue-Medford) stayed locked in, going 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
Zach Ducorsky (Oceanside, NY) was another bright spot for Cobleskill, putting together a 3-for-4 line featuring two doubles, three runs scored, and a stolen base.
David Flora (Windsor, NY) added two stolen bases while going 1-for-3, and
Korin Laurilla (East Greenbush, NY/Columbia) drove in two runs to keep the Tigers competitive.
On the mound, six different pitchers took the hill for the Tigers.
Adam Champlin (South Kortright, NY) was tagged with the loss, but
Evan Balbera (Patchogue, NY/Patchogue-Medford) turned in a strong relief outing, fanning four over 3.2 innings.
Cobleskill wasted no time making noise in the top of the first as Firment launched a towering solo shot over the left-field wall to give the Tigers an early 1-0 edge. The Engineers answered back with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame to even things up.
The Tigers continued to flex their muscles in the third inning. Sarda led off with a leadoff home run for his first homer of the season. Two batters later, Firment stepped up and unloaded on another pitch, sending it out of the yard for his second dinger of the day and a 3-1 Cobleskill lead. The inning wasn't done yet, as Papanikolatos laced a clutch single to right field to bring in Flora and Ducorsky, stretching the lead to 5-1.
The Engineers clawed back to tie the game at 5-5 in the fifth inning. Cobleskill briefly regained the lead in the sixth with a heads-up double steal that saw Flora swipe second while Ducorsky stole home to make it 6-5. But RPI took control in the seventh, plating five runs in a rally that proved to be the difference-maker.
Despite being down 10-6, the Tigers didn't go quietly. They scratched across two runs in the ninth, but the Engineers shut the door to secure the 11-8 victory.
Looking Ahead: The Fighting Tigers (5-12 overall) return home next Saturday, April 5, for a non-conference doubleheader against Vassar College at Fighting Tiger Field. First pitch is set for noon.
