POTSDAM, N.Y.—Hobart baseball delivered a 5–3 victory over Clarkson University on Friday, thanks to a pivotal four-run rally in the fourth inning. The Statesmen's pitchers were in fine form, limiting the Golden Knights to just four hits over nine innings and racking up eight strikeouts.
The scoring began in the third inning when
Jack O'Neil singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a groundout.
Will Jones then drove him in with a groundout for a 1-0 lead.
Clarkson responded with Joe Figliolino's RBI double, tying the game through three innings.
In the fourth, Hobart took the lead for good.
Jack Farnen singled and swiped second before being joined by
Cole Conte on the basepaths. A wild pitch put both in scoring position, and
Jack Byrnes capitalized with a two-run single. Later, Jones doubled to left, driving in two more runs and pushing Hobart's lead to 5-1.
Clarkson narrowed the gap in the fifth. David Harris and a sacrifice fly from Figliolino brought in two runs, making it a 5-3 contest.
The rest of the game saw Hobart's pitchers keep a firm grip on the lead. Senior starter
Aaron Forgues pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out four batters. Junior
Chris Lockwood provided solid relief, throwing 3 2/3 innings with only one hit allowed and two strikeouts.
Max Friedlander finished it off, pitching a perfect inning with two strikeouts, securing his third save of the season.
Junior
Sean Garvin led the offense, going three-for-four with a walk. Farnen delivered two hits and stole three bases. Jones had three RBIs. O'Neil's third-inning single extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Byrnes and Garvin have both reached base safely in 14 straight games.
"It's never easy coming up here," Hobart Head Coach
Brad Cook said. "They had their ace on the bump and we found a way to get to him early. Jonesy and Byrnes gave us clutch RBI hits. We got the big inning and it was enough. Forgues had a good start with Lockwood eating innings up and Max closing the door. It was a great team win! "
Looking ahead, the Statesmen (18-6, 6-0) will face the Golden Knights (10-9, 2-5) again Saturday, April 4, in Potsdam. The doubleheader is set to start at 11 a.m.
