SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Senior Jackson Hornung singled up the middle in the bottom of the 10^th inning to score Danny Melillo from second base and give the Skidmore College baseball team a 6-5 division victory over Vassar College on Friday.
 

• The hit was Hornung's third of the day and sent the Thoroughbreds into celebration mode after Melillo easily scored from second base with one out. Hornung also walked twice to reach base safely five times in six plate appearances. In the sixth inning, he singled through the right side on a full-count pitch with the bases loaded to score two runs and cut Skidmore's three-run deficit to just one.
• Skidmore took the lead, 5-3, with one swing of the bat from Anthony Petersen in the seventh. He took an 0-2 pitch the opposite way and cleared the left-field fence for a three-run homer. All three of the runs were unearned after a throwing error with two outs extended the inning.
• Vassar kept the game going by scoring twice in the ninth inning to tie it at five. The Thoroughbreds were unable to complete a double play, which scored a run, but also put the tying run in scoring position at second base with two outs. After an intentional walk, Adam Talwalkar hit a line drive fair on the right-field line. Jensen Bergman scored to tie the game, but pinch runner Jack Story was out at home thanks to a well-executed relay play from newly inserted Andy Pelc in right field to cutoff man Sam Kornet, and finally to Trey Bourque at the plate.
• In the bottom of the ninth, pinch hitter Zachary Leiderman singled through the left side to lead off the inning. Then, pinch runner Cameron Pedemonti got to second on a balk and to third shortly thereafter on a wild pitch. Two intentional walks loaded the bases, with the winning run at third, with just one out. Peterson, who homered in his previous at bat, laced a liner to second basemen Reid Lapekas, who caught it and quickly jumped on second base to complete the unassisted double play and send the game to extras.
• Christian Giresi, who finished the ninth inning for Skidmore on the mound, walked the leadoff hitter in the 10^th but promptly picked him off for the first out. The second hitter, Ezra Caspi, reached on an infield error and moved to second on a Ty Murray single. Caspi got to third on a fielder's choice force out. Giresi came to the set on a full count to the Vassar nine hitter but was called for an action-clock violation for an automatic ball to load the bases and turn the lineup over. Giresi fired three consecutive strikes to the Brewer leadoff man and got a called-third strike to end the inning. Giresi got the win, his first of the year.
• Vassar scored three times in the fifth inning to take the lead. Talwalar hit a sacrifice fly to open the scoring, before Lapekas hit a two-run double to right field.
• It was all Vassar could get against Skidmore starter Ameer Hasan. He pitched seven innings and scattered nine hits but limited the damage thanks to just one free pass. He struck out four.
• Ryan Harris walked four batters and hit two more for Vassar over five innings but surrendered just three hits to keep the Thoroughbreds off the board. Neither starter factored into the decision.  
• Skidmore (14-6, 5-2 Liberty League East) now leads by 1.5 games over RPI, Vassar (14-8, 2-2 LLE), and Union for first place in the division.
• NEXT UP: Vassar will host Skidmore on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.