Ticket Punched!!! No. 23/25 Russell Sage College Baseball Wins the 2026 Empire 8 Conference Tournament Championship!!
ALBANY, N.Y. – Nationally-Ranked Russell Sage College Baseball came back from a pair of early deficits against Saint John Fisher to earn its first-ever Empire 8 Conference Tournament Championship with a 6-2 victory at Schenectady's Central Park "A" Diamond.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | X | 6 | 9 | 3 |
ALBANY, N.Y. – Nationally-Ranked Russell Sage College Baseball came back from a pair of early deficits against Saint John Fisher to earn its first-ever Empire 8 Conference Tournament Championship with a 6-2 victory at Schenectady's Central Park "A" Diamond.
"It's one of the best feelings in the world when you get to win a championship with your guys," commented sophomore first baseman Darren Dengler (Hobart, NY/South Kortright), who was voted the Tournament Most Valuable Player, following the final out. "This is one of the hardest-working groups I've ever been a part of. They deserve it so much. We're far from finished but I am so incredibly proud of the work and everything these guys have put in."
With having defeated SJFU 8-5 on Friday afternoon, the Gators (36-6, sitting 23rd in the D3Baseball.com and 25th in the American Baseball Coaches Association National Polls, only needed to beat the Cardinals once on Saturday to capture the title.
After first pitch of the potential clincher was pushed back from noon to eventually 4:30 PM due to a rainy Saturday morning and early afternoon in New York's Capital Region, the coronation was delayed even further as SJFU (30-12) handed the Gators their first E8 Tournament loss by a score of 3-1.
The Cardinals, looking to extend their spring and set up a winner-take-all second game, put across a run in each of the first two frames. The early support helped senior right-hander Ethan Fulton, pitching for the first time since April 26th, also against RSC, settle in.
The two-time All-E8 Conference selection stymied the high-powered Gator offense, allowing just five hits in the complete game win (4-1). RSC beat the ball into the turf off the righty, with 16 of the 27 outs coming on the ground, including three double plays.
After the Cardinals increased their advantage to 3-0 on a sixth-inning solo homer by senior first baseman Jack Griffin, RSC got on the board in the seventh.
Senior pitcher/outfielder Evan Grimes (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) led off with a double, coming around to score on a pair of fly outs.
The Gators were able to get the leadoff man on in both the eighth and ninth. However, they were both erased on double plays.
Senior pitcher Xavier Garcia (San Diego, CA/Saratoga Springs/SUNY Adirondack) was on the short end of the pitchers' duel (Loss, 7-1). The lefty scattered nine hits and allowed just two earned runs across eight innings of work. He fanned six Cardinals and going eight innings helped RSC Head Coach Matt Marsh have as many pitching options as possible for the now necessary nightcap.
The winner-take-all contest would have the Gators again starting from behind, as SJFU put across a run in the top of the first.
RSC knotted things in the third inning. Dengler led off with a single. He stole second then came around to score on an RBI single by freshman outfielder Nick Irizarry (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield).
Down 2-1 after a solo Cardinal long ball, the Gators got back to even in the fifth. Dengler and Irizarry would again factor into the score. Dengler singled to start the frame and stole second. Following a strikeout and a walk to get back to the top of the RSC lineup, Irizarry laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up 90 feet. Dengler would then cross home on a wild pitch.
RSC took its first lead of the day in the sixth. With two outs, junior designated hitter Jayden Kennedy (East Patchogue, NY/Patchogue Medford/HVCC) blooped a single down the right field line to score senior second baseman Anthony Rizzo (Latham, NY/Shaker/HVCC).
The Gators added three runs in the seventh.
Dengler, the Tournament MVP, got the rally started with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a sacrifice bunt moved the first baseman to third, he scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore third baseman Nick Chicaway (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes).
With two down, senior shortstop Joseph Karpierz (Latham, NY/Shaker/Xavier) singled home a pair to close the scoring.
Grimes came in from center to pitch the final two frames, with the final four of the six outs coming by way of the K.
Junior right-handed pitcher Tyler Murray (East Greenbush, NY/Columbia/HVCC) tossed the first six innings to get the win (6-1). He kept the Cards in check, allowing just five hits and both of their runs.
Senior Greg Mays (Troy, NY/Tamarac/SUNY Cortland) served as the bridge to get to Grimes from Murray, hurling a scoreless seventh.
Dengler was voted the Tournament MVP. He went 6-for-12 with five runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases across the four games.
The Gators have automatically qualified for the NCAA Tournament and will learn their pod's opponents and location on Monday at noon.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: Russell Sage College Baseball, in its fifth season as a program, has won the second Empire 8 Conference Tournament Championship in Athletic Department history...RSC Women's Soccer won the first E8 crown for the Department in the spring of 2021...The Gators, in their first season under the direction of Head Coach Matt Marsh, have set the program single-season wins record…As the Empire 8 Conference regular season Champions, the Gators earned the top seed and hosting privileges for the 2026 E8 Championship Tournament…RSC, which went 21-1 in E8 play this spring, was also the Empire 8 Conference regular season champs and Tournament's top seed in 2024…Russell Sage has now made the Finals of the E8 Tournament in three of the past four years…The Gators are nationally-ranked in both of the May 5th editions of the American Baseball Coaches Association and D3Baseball.com National Polls…RSC sits 23rd in the D3Baseball.com rankings…It marks the first time that Gators were nationally-ranked by the organization…The ABCA moved RSC up three spots to number 25...The Gators clinched a spot in the E8 Championship Tournament with the home win vs. SUNY Brockport on April 17…RSC has now made the playoffs in all five years that it has been a program…In 2025, the Gators went 27-15 and fell in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament Finals…19 returners combine with 18 newcomers on this year's squad…Grimes, senior catcher Colin Casey (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro/Saint Rose), and Garcia headline the returners…Grimes garnered a multitude of honors after last season, being named to the First-Team in the Empire 8 and Second-Team All-Region from the ABCA…Casey was named second-team All-Empire 8 for the 2025 campaign…Kennedy, Karpierz, and Murray highlight the newcomers…RSC closed the E8 Tournament atop the Conference with a .344 team batting average and 449 runs scored…The Gators have swiped 190 bases, the best in the Conference and surpassing the previous school single-season record by almost 80 bags…Karpierz starts the NCAA Tournament leading the E8 in hitting at .457...He's second on the circuit with 59 runs scored and 18 doubles...The shortstop is third in the Conference with 63 hits, a .556 on-base percentage, and an OPS of 1.212…The senior is fourth in the E8 with 52 RBI and 23 stolen bases…Irizarry, who broke the program record for stolen bases in a season, tops the E8 with 44 stolen bases and 63 runs scored, both program single-season records…Grimes is among the Conference leaders at the plate and on the mound…The southpaw (7-1, 2 saves) concluded the weekend leading the E8 with 80 strikeouts, the most in a season by an RSC pitcher, across 66.2 innings…Opponents were hitting .204 off of the lefty, good for second on the circuit…Grimes, tied for the E8 lead in victories, finished the Tournament third in the Conference with a 2.70 ERA...At the plate, he concluded the E8 playoffs second in the Conference with 55 RBI, 27 stolen bases, and seven triples…In addition to Grimes, seniors Aidan Green (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro/Onondaga CC) (7-1) and Garcia (7-1) have excelled on mound…Green tossed three complete games this spring…He concluded the weekend second in the Conference with a 2.67 ERA, and was right behind Grimes with 64.0 innings pitched…Garcia, Grimes, and Green each have the most wins in a season by an RSC pitcher and the most in the E8 with seven…Garcia currently sports a 3.58 ERA, a .234 opposing batting average, and 55 strikeouts across 55.1 innings…The marks ranked fourth, fifth, seventh and fifth respectively...Murray (6-1, 2 saves) has emerged this spring, sitting among the E8 leaders in wins and saves at the conclusion of its Tournament...Mays has now saved a team-best four victories, tied for first in the E8…Dengler was voted the Most Valuable Player of the E8 Tournament...He hit .500 (6-for-12) with five runs scored and three RBI across the four games...Dengler finished up the E8 playoffs fifth in the Conference with 50 RBI and fourth with 14 doubles...Rizzo is second on the Gators in hitting at .380...His 60 hits is good for fourth in the E8, while his 51 runs scored puts him sixth...Grimes was named the E8 Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 1...The lefty registered an eleven strikeout performance across 5.2 innings in the 2-0 season-opening win vs. Mount Saint Vincent on February 28...The All-Region performer allowed just two hits and two walks to help the Gators begin their season in the win column...Karpierz was selected the E8 Baseball Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 15...He batted .522 (12/23) with nine runs scored and 13 RBI across six games...The infielder, who slugged .826 and reached base at a 58.1 percent clip, tallied five doubles and went 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts…Grimes was named the Conference's Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 22...He hit .529 with nine RBI in the 4-0 week...The senior, who scored three runs and totaled 16 bases, slugged .941 and reached base at a .556 rate...Garcia was named the E8 Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 22...The senior allowed three hits and zero earned runs to earn the win against Western New England on March 21…The Gators received seven votes in the March 31st edition of the ABCA Division III Coaches Poll, the first time receiving votes in program history…Grimes was named the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, April 5...The senior hit .385 with 17 RBI in the 7-0 week including a walk-off grand slam against Houghton...On the mound, the lefty went 2-0 with 16 strikeouts across 13 innings...RSC earned 19 votes in the April 7th ABCA national poll…The Gators earned votes in the D3Baseball.com rankings for the first time on April 7…RSC broke the program single-season record for steals in a season during the home doubleheader sweep of Alfred on April 11…Karpierz was tabbed the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, April 12…He batted .529 (9-for-17) with nine runs scored and 13 RBI in the 4-0 week…The senior, who totaled 20 bases, slugged 1.176 and registered a .600 on-base percentage…Irizarry was selected the E8 Rookie of the Week for the period ending Sunday, April 12… The freshman batted .357 with five runs scored, six stolen bases and ten RBI in the 4-0 week…He has been setting the table effectively, successfully swiping bases on 29 of his first 30 collegiate stolen base attempts… RSC began the spring with a 22-3 overall record, 11-0 in E8 play…The Gators opened their Conference schedule out-scoring opponents by a 141-36 margin…RSC was pummeling E8 pitchers to the tune of a .405 batting average, while keeping the opposition to hit just .203…Grimes was tabbed the Conference's Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, April 19…The lefty helped the Gators hand SUNY Brockport, the defending E8 Champions, their first conference loss of the spring on April 17…He allowed just one earned run on four hits, and struck out three Golden Eagles across six innings of work…After a 4-0 week, including sweeping the three-game series at Saint John Fisher, then receiving votes in the ABCA National Poll, RSC dominated the Conference weekly awards for the period ending Sunday, April 26…Rizzo was tabbed the E8 Player of the Week…He batted .474 (9-for-19) with seven runs scored and seven RBI in the 4-0 week...The senior totaled 11 bases, slugged .579 and reached base at a .524 percentage... Irizarry was selected the E8 Rookie of the Week…He hit .556 (10-for-18) with eight runs scored and four RBI in the 4-0 week...The outfielder, who went 6-of-6 on stolen base attempts, slugged .556, totaled 10 bases, and had a .636 on-base percentage...Grimes was chosen the E8 Pitcher of the Week…The lefty held the high-powered Saint John Fisher offense in check, allowing just seven hits and two earned runs across eight-innings…He fanned six in the 13-3 road victory… The Gators were nationally-ranked for the first time as program, coming in at number 28 in the April 28th edition of the American Baseball Coaches Association National Poll…Grimes earned E8 Player of the Week honors for the period ending Sunday, May 3…The senior hit .615 (8-for-13) with eight runs scored and five RBI across the three-game sweep…He totaled 18 bases, tallied three doubles, tripled twice and cleared the fence once…Grimes, the winning pitcher in game one of the doubleheader on Saturday, May 2, slugged 1.385 and reached base at a .667 rate against the Soaring Eagles…Factoring in the April 28th victory at Skidmore, which was saved by the southpaw, he went 9-for-16 (.563) with nine runs scored, eight RBI and 22 total bases…Across the 4-0 week, Grimes, who also homered in the Skidmore win, slugged 1.375 and had a .600 on-base percentage
