The New York University baseball team dropped a wild 10-9 decision to the University of Rochester at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship on Friday, March 11, in Sanford, FL.
Despite holding an 8-5 lead after the top of the fifth, the Violets (4-7, 2-4 UAA) could not hold the advantage, eventually allowing the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off walk by the Yellowjackets' (3-3, 3-3) Matt Todd.
"There should be no pressure pitching with the lead and we didn't do a good job pitching with the lead," said Head Coach
Doug Kimbler. "We scored nine runs and that's enough to win a baseball game."
After taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on
Jake Smith's sacrifice fly, Rochester scored in each of the first three innings and took a 4-1 advantage.
NYU countered with a five-run fourth.
Jeremy Wayne and
Jack Walter contributed RBI singles in the frame, while the other three runs scored on two errors and a wild pitch.
The Yellowjackets scored once in the bottom of the fouth to pull within 6-5, then NYU scored two in the top of the fifth to take its biggest lead. Wayne knocked in one run with a single, while the other one came in when
Ryan McLaughlin was plunked with the bases loaded.
Rochester responded with two of their own in the bottom of the fifth and then took a 9-8 lead with two more in the seventh.
The Violets tied the game for the final time in the eighth as McLaughlin was again hit by a pitch and eventually came around to score on
Adrian Spitz' single.
NYU had a chance to take the lead in the top of the ninth, loading the bases with nobody out, but was unable to push across the go-ahead run.
"The simple things in this game would have put us up by four or five runs in the top of the ninth, but we just didn't get the job done," Kimbler said. NOTABLES:- A total of 23 walks were issued in the game, 14 by NYU pitchers. Six errors were committed, four by Rochester.
- Spitz finished with three hits for NYU.
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Scott Hilbrandt went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks. Walter, Smith and Wayne also had two hits.
- At least one run was scored in every inning except the sixth.
The Violets return to action on Saturday, March 12, when they face Brandeis University. First pitch at Sanford Memorial Stadium is set for 2:00 pm.
