Timely hitting and solid pitching helped the Clarkson University Baseball team win two low-scoring games against Bard on Saturday afternoon.

Clarkson is now 8-12 on the season with an even 5-5 conference record while Bard drops to 8-18 overall and 3-7 in the Liberty League.

In the opener, a seventh inning rally helped Clarkson send the game to extra innings where the Golden Knights were able to win the game with a run in the top of the ninth. Clarkson got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the second. With one out, Ben Knauf walked and then stole second. Knauf moved to third on a Connor Dietrich groundout and then scored on a balk.

Bard answered with a run in the second and the third. A Clarkson error and a walk combined with a Bard single to load the bases in the bottom of the second with two outs. JP Fisher singled to score one run for Bard, but with a second run trying to score Dom Pirro gunned the runner out with a throw from center field to home plate. Bard took the lead with a run in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly. That was the final run until the dramatics in the top of the seventh.

With one out, Knauf drew another walk to put the tying run on base. Dietrich followed him with a bunt single and then Anthony Padrazo was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Will Coleman was the next batter up and he lifted a fly ball to right field that was deep enough for Knauf to tag up and score.

The bottom of the seventh and the eighth inning were scoreless and then Clarkson regained the lead in the top of the ninth. Connor Martin doubled down the right field line, with Nolan Duda pinch running for Martin. Two batters later, Dietrich laced a triple to right center that scored Duda for the go ahead run.

Ted Wilson came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and slammed the door shut, as he allowed just one hit in the inning for his first save of the year. Ryan Riley earned his first collegiate win after he pitched a scoreless two and one third innings in relief of Ian Castle. Castle threw five and two thirds innings, allowing one earned run on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

The win also marked a milestone for longtime head coach Jim Kane who has now guided the Golden Knights to 300 wins in his 16 years at the helm. Kane is the all-time leader in wins at Clarkson and has a winning percentage of .537.

In the second game, Wilson continued right where he had left off in the opener and threw a complete game. He allowed just one run on seven hits and struck out three batters.

Clarkson provided Wilson all the run support he needed in the top of the fourth. Chris Miller hit a one-out double to center field and then trotted home when Brad Pearson's shot to right field cleared the fence for a home run. It was the first home run of Pearson's collegiate career and the third of the year for Clarkson. Martin kept the inning going two batters later with a two-out single to center field. Knauf and Dietrich followed with consecutive singles to load the bases and then Padrazo was hit by a pitch to score the third run of the inning.

A Bard single and double put runners on second and third to start the bottom of the fifth, but Wilson worked out of the jam, allowing the Raptors to push just one run home.

The Green and Gold pushed the lead back to three runs in the top of the seventh when Pearson's single scored Coleman. That was the final run of the game as Wilson threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning to complete his third win of the season.

Dietrich and Coleman had RBI's in the first game while Pearson had three in the second with Padrazo also adding one. Pearson was 3-6 hitting with two walks and Martin was 2-5 with a walk.

The two teams will play two more games on Sunday afternoon with the first game getting started at 12:00 noon.