Skidmore defeats St. Lawrence, advances in Liberty League tourney

TROY, N.Y. – Freshman lefthander Spencer Marcus (Scarsdale, NY/Scarsdale)pitched seven and two-thirds innings and reliever Mike Matias (Groton, CT/Robert E. Fitch) tied the school single-season record with his eighth save as fourth-seeded Skidmore defeated second-seeded St. Lawrence University, 6-3, in the winners’ bracket game of the four-team, double elimination Liberty League Tournament at Robison Field.

The Thoroughbreds, who turned four double plays for the second consecutive game, improved to 19-18 and advanced to Sunday’s championship round. Sunday’s first game is at 11 a.m. The Saints fell to 20-13 and play an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. Saturday against either Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), the top seed and host, or the University of Rochester, the third seed.

Marcus pitched into the eighth inning, allowing eight hits and three runs, all earned, while striking one and walking two. Seven of the hits he gave up were singles while the other was a double. Matias, a junior, pitched the final one and a third innings for the save.

Skidmore took a 1-0 lead in the top of first inning when senior Mike Salamone (Albany, NY/Newton South) singled, moved to third on a single by junior Greg Carlow (Mystic, CT/Fitch), and scored on a throwing error as Carlow stole second base. The Saints came back with two runs in the bottom of the first on a walk and three straight singles, including run-scoring base hits by senior Andrew Engebretson (Long Lake, MN/Orono) and graduate student Joe Regonlinski (Wayland, MA/Wayland).

The Thoroughbreds regained the lead, 4-2, with three runs on two home runs in the third inning. Salamone led the inning with a homer to right field and senior Rob Hutchison (Waterville, NY/Trinity Pawling) hit a two-run, two-out home run, also to right field. Skidmore increased its lead to four runs (6-2) in the eighth inning on a two-run single by pinch hitter Matt Pisani (Winchester, MA/Winchester). St. Lawrence scored once in the eighth on an RBI double by sophomore Matt Carrigg (Endwell, NY/Maine-Endwell) before Matias recorded the third out.

Offensively for Skidmore, freshman leadoff hitter Anthony Ferri (Jersey City, NJ/Loomis Chaffee) was 4 for 5, including a double, with a run; Salamone finished 2 for 3 with three runs and an RBI; and Hutchison was 2 for 4 with a run and two driven in.