Game 1
Game 2

Potsdam, NY - Skidmore senior Nick Laracuente improved to 8-0 as the Skidmore College baseball team swept Clarkson University  2-1 and 5-3, Friday at Jack Phillips Stadium. The teams are scheduled to meet again Saturday.

The Golden Knights lost their fourth and fifth straight games to fall to 13-11 overall and 9-5 in the Liberty League, while Skidmore improved to 20-6 overall and 7-5 in conference play.

The first game's score was not indicative of the opportunities that each team had. Clarkson left 12 runners on base, including at least one runner in six of the seven innings, and seven in the final three frames, but could not push the game-tying run across. Skidmore opened with a run in the first thanks to an RBI double from Brian Lowry after a two-out single from Rob Rubenstein. Clarkson responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning on a fielder's choice from Justin McInerney.

Clarkson starting pitcher David Goerold wiggled out of trouble most of the afternoon. Skidmore scored one in the top of the third, but the frame could have been far worse as the Thoroughbreds loaded the bases with one out. A strikeout and a fly out ended the threat, but Skidmore would threaten again in the fourth and fifth, again with two runners on and less than two outs before Goerold could escape unscathed. Clarkson looked to tie the score in the fifth inning, but a bases-loaded strikeout ended the threat. In the sixth, runners were on second and third with one out, but another strikeout and a harmless bouncer back to the pitcher stopped that rally. The seventh didn't match the threats of the previous two innings, but again Skidmore escaped with a strikeout to end the game.

Zach Rudman struck out eight in less than six innings, and Jordan Keysor came on for the final inning and a third with two strikeouts to earn the save.

The second game was set up for another pitchers' duel between Skidmore's Nick Laracuente and Clarkson's Alex Giovannone but Giovannone left in the fourth with an injury after not allowing a hit in the first three and a third innings. Clarkson reliver Anthony Farrell picked up the slack and pitched well in relief, allowing an unearned run in the fifth to tie the game.

Though Clarkson struck out seven times against Laracuente, the team hit several hard shots off the Skidmore ace. David Kinney crushed a home run to left center, his fourth of the season, in the third inning to give Clarkson a 1-0 lead, but that advantage evaporated with the unearned run in the fifth. Skidmore reclaimed the lead with a run in the seventh, but in the bottom of the inning, freshman David Wixted nearly left the yard as well, instead settling for a double to deep left that drove in a pair to give Clarkson a 3-2 edge.

In the top of the eighth, Skidmore regained the lead for good on a play that could have ended the inning. Rudman hit a flyball to right field that just ended up out of reach of Clarkson rightfielder Garrett Russell, instead dropping in for a double that plated a pair of runs. The next batted ball got through Coleman at shortstop and Rudman scampered home for the final tally.