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The SVC baseball team trailed three different times, but fought back to win 15-12 in the season opener over New Jersey City University in Auburndale, Florida.

The Gothic Knights opened the slugfest by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first off SVC started Dave Culeton.  However, the Bearcats came back in the bottom of the first to score four times.  After Luke Fox and Greg Martin walked on eight straight pitches, Bobby Finn was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Chris Winkler grounded out to first but drove home Fox, then Eddie Kilkeary singled home Martin to tie the game.  TJ Kuny then sent a sharply hit ball to left field that drove home two more runs and landed Kuny at second with a double.

New Jersey City scored once in the top of the second, but Greg Martin hit a 2-run home run to right field backed by strong winds to make it a 6-3 SVC lead after just two innings.

Culeton got in more trouble in the top of the third, giving up five runs on six hits before giving way to freshman Ben Davis, who recorded the final out of the inning.  

Down 8-6 in the bottom of the third, the Bearcats got a run back.  Kilkeary singled, then moved to third on a ground-rule double by Kiny.  Brennan Hoffer later drove home a run on a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit in half.

Davis shut down the Gothic Knights in the fourth and fifth innings, and SVC reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth.  Kuny led off with a single, then advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Nick LaCava.  After Hoffer was hit by a pitch, Matt Morrone also attempted to bunt, and the pitched fielded the ball and threw the ball wildly to first, loading the bases.  Fox singled home a pair of runs, and Morrone later scored on a Finn single, giving SVC a 10-8 lead.

The Knights managed to get a pair of runs off Davis in the sixth, but Luke Spisak came out of the bullpen to end the threat on a strikeout.  However, the game was now tied, 10-10, going to the bottom of the 6th.

An inning later, Martin reached on a walk, and Finn drove in the go-ahead run with a triple to the fence in left field.  After Winkler walked, Kilkeary cleared the bases with a double to give SVC a 13-10 lead.

The opponents added a pair of runs in the top of the 8th, but Martin, who set the school single-season record for saves in 2016, came on to get the final two outs of the inning.

Clinging to a 13-12 lead, the Bearcats got some insurance in the bottom of the 8th.  Brennan Hoffer walked, then came all the way around to score when Morrone's bunt attempt resulted in a throwing error.  Morrone made it all the way to third on the play.  Braden Hoffer was then hit by a pitch, and Martin followed by laying down a suicide squeeze bunt that scored Morrone to make it a 15-12 game.

After yielding a leadoff single in the 9th, Martin ended the game with three straight outs for his first save of the season.

Spisak (1-0) was the winning pitcher.

NJCU pounded out 22 hits in the game, while SVC had 16.  Finn and Kilkeary each went 4-for-5, while Kuny was 3-4.  Kilkeary and Martin had 3 RBI each, while Finn, Kuny and Fox each drove in two.

Saint Vincent will face Beloit College in Auburndale on Monday (March 6) at 2:45PM.  Game time is approximate, and depends upon the length of the previous game at the same field.