Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

TROY, N.Y. – With the air temperature hovering around 40 degrees or sometimes lower and a vastly different climate overall compared to that of Myrtle Beach where the Keene State College baseball team spent most of their Spring Break week, the Owls' bats were also ice cold and the pitching allowed double-digit hits in both games of a doubleheader as KSC fell 11-2 and 9-1 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Saturday at Karl Steffen Ballpark.

Records

• Keene State:  4-7
• RPI:  7-4-1

How It Happened – Game One
RPI scored three runs in the third and then eight across the fifth and sixth innings to build an 11-0 lead, and that was plenty of run support for starter Thomas Neuman and three relievers as the Engineers cruised in their first action since last Sunday when they traded blowouts with Bates College, winning 15-1 before a 14-5 loss.  KSC's first baserunner did not come until the third when Mark Barrett singled to center, and they did not put multiple people on base in an inning until the fifth.  In that frame – with the score still a manageable 3-0 – Evan McCue led off with a walk and Alec Varano singled to center with one out.  After Barrett flew out, Evan Cali recorded a base hit of his own to load the bases, but the Owls stranded three of the 10 runners they left on in the game in that inning.

Immediately after, the Engineers saw the first three reach in the bottom of the fifth and took a 4-0 lead on an RBI double from Martin Marintchev.  He later scored on a wild pitch.  KSC did not have an answer in the sixth despite Jonathan Chatfield's two-out double, and then the wheels fell off in the bottom half of the inning in a big way as RPI put up six runs on six consecutive hits, all with two outs.  Ayush Krishnappa began the inning with a walk, but Jack Lang got two infield popups right after and it seemed KSC would have no real trouble.  However, that was far from the truth, as Aidan Hicks doubled to center and George Rainer singled to left to make it 7-0.  Marintchev then added to his three-hit afternoon to make it 8-0, and Julian Scarpa's two run double to the left center gap put RPI in double-digits, the third time in the last four games Keene State has surrendered at least 10 runs.

Offensively, the Owls did not crack the scoreboard until there were two down in the eighth, and that came after Colby August walked three consecutive hitters with two outs before Trent Mayer came through with a two-run single to center.  Varano followed with a walk as KSC loaded the bases again even while still having a tall mountain of a deficit to climb, but a fly to right ended the inning, and the Owls were then sent down in four batters in the ninth.

Neuman (3-0) did not allow a run in seven innings, scattering around six hits.  He walked one and struck out three.

RPI had six players record multi-hit games and had five doubles, all from different people.  Hicks finished 2-for-3 with two RBI, two runs scored and a walk.  Scarpa also drove home two in a 2-for-5 effort.  Rainer and Jack Moncur also each went 2-for-4.

Barrett finished 2-for-4 with a double at the plate for KSC and Chatfield was 1-for-3 with a two-bagger and a walk, but the Owls were held to five runs or fewer for the fifth consecutive game and have 12 runs total in that span.

Phil Nichols (1-1) started and took the loss for Keene State, allowing eight hits and five runs in five innings with two walks and two strikeouts.

KSC fell to 0-4 in opening games of doubleheaders.

How It Happened – Game Two
The second game – scheduled for seven innings – did not turn out much better for the Owls, who despite scoring the opening run on Chatfield's first career home run in the top of the second then allowed nine unanswered from there as they tumbled to a third consecutive loss and fourth in the last five games.  RPI tied the game at one in the third with an unearned run as Aidan Safar began the inning with a double to center and then scored when KSC muffed Stephen Koval's sacrifice bunt to first.

Keene State quickly put a runner in scoring position to start their half of the third as they looked to retake the lead following Brendan Eaton's single to center and advance on a wild pitch, but a strikeout and two flyouts got RPI starter Rylan Wade out of trouble, and then his team took the lead with three runs in their half of the inning.  Martinchev started it with a single to right center and moved up on a wild pitch before eventually scoring on Jake Contois' triple to center that gave the Engineers their first lead.  Matt Chotiner then followed with a single to the same part of the ballpark to make it 3-1, and Hicks later did the same with two down to make it a three-run game and chase KSC starter Brendan Muhs.

The Owls are still very much searching for answers offensively, as after Eaton reached to kick off the fourth, they saw their next 12 hitters sent down in a row, six via strikeouts by Wade and reliever Evan Mahns, who pitched the seventh.

By the time the last inning rolled around, RPI had blown the game open by scoring five times in the sixth to take a 9-1 lead.  The Engineers had just three singles in the inning, but two hit batters, a passed ball, a stolen base, and a wild pitch helped it snowball into another big inning against KSC.

"We got bullied today," said Owls head coach Justin Blood.  "RPI kept putting pressure on us and we never really responded in any phase of the game."

Muhs (0-3) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) and six hits in 3.2 innings.  He walked one and had three strikeouts.

Wade improved to 2-1 after cruising through six innings, allowing one run and three hits with one walk and six whiffs.  Aside from Chatfield's home run that gave KSC a 1-0 advantage, he allowed just two other hits, both singles.

Marintchev finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI and two runs to lead RPI's day at the plate, while Safar was 2-for-3 with a double and scored three runs.

Around the Horn

• Chatfield's homer was the first for anybody in a KSC game this year (either hit by the Owls or allowed).  He is 8-for-31 with a .410 on-base percentage to begin his career.
• The Owls had nine extra-base hits in a pair of wins over Salem State University and Wells College earlier this week (where they combined for 20 runs), but have only seven in five games since.
• Three of the four all-time meetings between the two teams have come in the last two seasons.  KSC has been outscored 29-4.  RPI finished 14-18 last season.

Up Next

• Keene State travels to Westfield State University (2-6) on Thursday, March 23 for a 3:30 p.m. game.  Westfield finished 24-16 a year ago, 15-6 in the MASCAC, though KSC did beat them 4-3 in Keene on April 11.  The Owls (the ones in Massachusetts) have allowed nine runs or more in six of their eight games.
• RPI postponed a doubleheader against Utica University originally scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday, March 19) and will return to action on Wednesday, March 22 at home against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (6-4) at 4:00 p.m.