ROCHESTER — Joe Zongel threw a complete game, striking out seven and scattering five hits, to lead Rensselaer to a 6-1 victory over St. Lawrence University in the opening game of the Liberty League baseball tournament Friday.

RPI (32-10) pounded out 14 hits and extended a 2-1 lead by scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. RPI went on to beat host Rochester 5-3 in a winner's bracket game later in the day.

SLU (19-17) will play Clarkson in a loser's bracket game today at 11 a.m. The winner will advance to play Rochester (28-12) at 2:30 p.m. in another elimination game, and the loser's season will be over.

Sean Wilkes and Dan Valentine each had three hits for RPI. Tim Harris, Ryan Duff, Christian Spicer, Rob Tole and Joe Shehata had hits for the Saints.

ROCHESTER 3, CLARKSON 0

Pete McEneaney threw a four-hit shutout to lead Rochester past the Golden Knights (17-19) in the other opening-round game of the Liberty League Tournament. Ed Kahovec and Blayne Fuke each had two hits for Rochester.

Mike Bresett had two of Clarkson's four hits.

EQUESTRIAN

SAINTS' PUTNAM NATIONAL CHAMP

St. Lawrence University sophomore Kristin Putnam captured the individual walk-trot-canter competition to win the first national riding championship for the Saints in seven years during the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Championships in Los Angeles.

Putnam won among a field of 18 riders to win the first national title for SLU since Ashley Dann in 2001.

The Saints are tied for fourth after two events in the Collegiate Cup team competition, thanks to Watertown's Nick Depheteros, who took second in the walk-trot event.

SLU's Dorothy Douglas scored 72 points in the USEF/Cacchione Cup competition for high point riders and is 14th heading into today's final round.