TROY, N.Y. – The Keene State College baseball team led 2-0 after one and had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the second looking for more as their St. Patrick's Day got off to a good start.  However, they wound up leaving all three on base, saw Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute tie the game with a two-run homer in the bottom half, and it went south in a hurry from there as the Owls eventually lost 22-4 on Sunday afternoon at Karl Steffen Ballpark.

Records

• Keene State:  4-8
• RPI:  5-4

How It Happened
Hamilton Barnes put KSC in front with a two-run single to center in the top of the first and Camden Thomas worked around a leadoff bunt single to strike out the side in the bottom half as the Owls appeared to have early momentum.  Then, after a strikeout to begin the top of the second, Kyle Palardy reached on a bunt single, Tommy Ahlers was plunked, and Evan Cali singled to second to load the bases with one out against laboring RPI starter Cameron Heuer.  However, much like Saturday in two losses to Clark University where the key hit was elusive, it remained so on this day.  A fielder's choice grounder that cut down Palardy at the plate and a fly ball to right later, and KSC had to settle for still just a 2-0 lead.  That lead was gone just three batters into the bottom half on Matt Chotiner's two-run homer to right, and Joey Saia's two-out, two-run single in the third made it 4-2.  Those were just the first two of four consecutive innings with runs for the Engineers, who led 9-2 after five.

Keene State got two back in the sixth off reliever Dylan Watson, with Ahlers bringing home the first with a single into left and Zina working a bases loaded walk to make it 9-4.  The Owls had three on with two outs and a chance to get back in the game, but Emmett Borenstein grounded to third and was called out on a close play at first.  Dylan Ellison notched a shutdown inning to keep the score there heading into the seventh, but KSC went down 1-2-3.  The roof caved in on the game in the bottom of the seventh as the Owls surrendered 11 runs.  Chotiner came up with the first key hit of the inning, a two-run single down the left field line that made it 11-4.  The Owls then got the first out, but walked the next three in a row and then allowed five straight hits and hit a batter as the game got away rapidly against an Engineers team that entered having scored 21 runs in eight games with a .218 batting average.  Today, they finished with 20 hits including five and a cycle from Julian Scarpa (5-5, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 4 R), four from Saia (4-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R) and three from Chotiner (3-4, HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, BB).

KSC did not have a batter with more than one hit, finishing with seven singles from seven different people and a double by Ethan Rainha.  Barnes drove in two and Ahlers one.  The Owls had plenty of chances, but left 12 on base.  On the other side of the ball, Keene State's pitching staff allowed eight walks and hit a batter to prolong innings.

"We got beat up today, the only way to put it," said Owls head coach Justin Blood.  "We've got another chance to get this thing going tomorrow."

Thomas (2-1) took the loss, allowing seven hits and seven runs in 3.2 innings while walking three and striking out four.

Heuer, despite a rocky start, wound up getting plenty of offensive support and a win, allowing five hits and two runs in five innings.  He walked two and struck out four to improve to 1-0.

Around the Horn

• Keene State has lost four times to the Engineers since the start of 2022 by a combined 51-8 margin.  Prior to that, the teams had not met since 2012 (an extra-inning game).
• Ahlers' hitting streak now stands at 10 games.  He has 13 RBI in that span.
• KSC has walked 74 and struck out 72 from the mound through 12 games (opponents have walked 63 and struck out 83).

Up Next

• The Owls are back at it for a third consecutive day when they travel to Babson College tomorrow (Monday, March 18) for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.
• RPI, which had lost four straight before sweeping 1-12 Vermont State University Castleton yesterday (8-7, 4-0) hosts the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Wednesday (March 20) at 3:30 p.m.