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The Bearcat baseball team earned its first conference victory with a come-from-behind 14-12 effort over visiting Thiel College.

The Tomcats got off to the early lead, scoring twice in the second inning of SVC starter Paul Kubeja.  Thiel then added a third run in the next inning, before the Bearcats started their first comeback of the day.

Two walks, two wild pitches, and two hit batsmen, along with an RBI single by Mike Hustava, tied the game at 3 after three innings.

A sacrifice fly by Bobby Hillier in the top of the fourth gave the visitors the lead once again, 4-3, and they increased the lead to 6-3 after scoring twice in the fifth inning.

A 2-run single by Brock Porter off SVC reliever Vince Yandura made the score 8-3 in the top of the sixth, but the lead wouldn't last long.  Zack Galasso led off the Bearcat half of the sixth with a single, then with one out, Erik Fichter walked.  Joe Aul then reached on an error that scored Galasso, making it 8-4.  Jack Shaffer then singled home another run, as did Mike Hustava, to make the score 8-6.  Joey Fearer's sacrifice fly scored Shaffer to cut the deficit to one, and AJ Kavinsky then tripled home Hustava to tie the game.

However, the visitors were far from finished, as they scored twice in the top of the 7th off SVC's Mike Tedesco to take a 10-8 lead.  Once again, the Bearcats came back, this time for good.

Galasso led off the bottom of the 7th with a solo home run to straightaway center field, then the rest of the rally came with two outs in the inning.  Aul singled to center, and Shaffer followed with a walk.  Hustava then singled home the tying run, and after a pitching change, Joey Fearer then singled, scoring Shaffer with the go-ahead run.  The Bearcats kept up the heat, with Kavinsky drawing a walk and Brad Burkardt singling home two more runs.  Kavinsky then scored on a wild pitch, giving SVC a 14-10 lead.

Thiel added a pair of runs in the 8th inning off eventual winning pitcher Matt Tyson, but Erik Fichter closed the door on the Tomcats in the 9th for his first save of the season.

Offensively, SVC was led by Galasso, who went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, and Hustava, who was 3-6w with 3 RBI.  Jack Shaffer drew four walks on the day and was 1-2, reaching base in all six of his plate appearances. 

Thiel struggled with control, walking 12 Bearcats, hitting three - Grant Krally was hit twice - and throwing three wild pitches.  The Tomcats pounded out 18 hits, but also committed six errors on the day.

SVC is now 1-9 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, while Thiel drops to 2-5. 


**NOTE...Due to a poor forecast, the doubleheader between Saint Vincent and Thiel has been moved to Sunday at 1PM.