MARIETTA, OHIO – The University of Rochester baseball team ran into a buzzsaw on the mound in the form of Penn State Behrend pitcher Thomas Zbezinski, and saw its season come to a close in an NCAA Division III Tournament Marietta Regional elimination game on Friday afternoon, falling 11-1 at Pioneer Park.
Rochester completes its 2021 campaign with a 24-10 record overall, while the Lions survive to play another day in the regional, improving to 26-12.
Zbenzinski went the distance for the Lions, throwing 144 pitches in the victory, allowing just three Yellowjacket hits while striking out 11. The three hits and one run were the fewest by Rochester in a game this season.
Rochester's leader on the day was sophomore Aaron Whitley who finished 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the sixth to account for the Yellowjackets only run.
Josh Leadem was the only other Rochester player to record a hit, doubling in the second inning. Leadem's double was the 97th of the season for Rochester as a team, setting a new program single-season record.
For the second straight day, Rochester's surrendered multiple runs in the first inning, with the Lions scoring three. The first run crossed the plate following a wild pitch from Rochester starter Trevor Van Allen, with the next two coming on a double from Juston Jones.
After three innings, it was 5-0 Lions, as Isaac Stouffer and Jones each added RBI base hits.
Four straight Behrend batters reached to start the fifth inning, leading to two more runs, making the score 7-0 before Whitley broke the shutout in the top of the sixth with his solo blast to left.
Leadem's double set the UR team single-season record.
Whitley ends the 2021 campaign having one of the best seasons in school history, logging a .475 batting average with a school-record 19 doubles, adding five home runs, 33 RBI and 28 stolen bases. He ranks second in Rochester single-season history in average and slugging, becoming just the third player in school history to amass 100 total bases in a season.
Following the home run, Behrend answered with one run in the bottom of the sixth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth.
On the mound, Zbezinski held Rochester hitless for the last three frames.
Rochester used four pitchers in the game. Van Allen went 2.1 innings and took the loss, dropping to 3-2 on the year, giving up five runs on six hits. Dillon Bevan tossed 2.2 innings and gave up two runs on five hits.
Nathan Slenska tossed two innings and surrendered three runs, while Nolan Sparks completed the game and gave up one unearned run in his one inning.
Leading the offense for the Lions was Jones who finished 4-for-5 with four RBI and run scored. Five others had two hits, while four Behrend players scored twice.
NOTES: This was the first ever meeting in baseball between Rochester and Penn State Behrend…Rochester was making its fifth ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament…Rochester's team finished first in school history this season in doubles (97), second in slugging percentage (.533) and top-five in average (.347), on-base percentage (.435) and runs (320).