The SVC baseball team opened the 2018 season with a tough 9-8 loss to Coe College in Winter Haven, Florida.

Coe took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first off SVC starter Matt Whittaker, but the Bearcats got on the board in the next half inning.
 
Patrick McElfish singled to lead off, followed one out later by a Ramon Milke single.  After a throwing error moved both runners ahead, Tanner Yard singled home both runs to put SVC in front.
 
In the third, Bobby Finn led off with a double and later scored on a single by Nick LaCava, giving the Bearcats a 3-1 lead.
 
The Kohawks scored four times in their half of the third, chasing Whittaker in favor of Ben Davis, who got out of a jam to keep it as a 5-3 game.
 
The Bearcats came right back in the top of the 4th, as Yard was hit by a pitch with one out.  Matt Morrone drew a walk, and after a wild pitch moved Yard to third, Eddie Kilkeary hit a sacrifice fly to score Yard.  Finn hit his second double of the game, bringing home Morrone with the go-ahead run.  McElfish then singled home Finn to make the score 6-5.
 
Davis then kept the Kohawks in check, and the Bearcats added to their lead in the 8th.  Yard once again singled with one out and stole second, then scored on a double by Kilkeary.  A single by Finn brought home Kilkeary to give SVC an 8-5 lead.  The Bearcats loaded the bases later in the inning, but Milke's two out liner was grabbed on a diving play by the Coe center fielder, saving three runs.
 
In the bottom of the 8th, Coe got a pair of hits, followed by an error to load the bases.  After one out, a sacrifice fly drove home a run, then another single cut the margin to just one run, 8-7 with the tying run at third.  A ground ball to short took a bad hop over the head of Bearcat shortstop Shane Fajt, for a game-tying single.  Submariner Matt Evans then came out of the bullpen, but he was called for a balk that brought home the Kohawks' ninth run before a flyout ended the inning.
 
SVC was unable to score in the top of the 9th, falling by a score of 9-8.
 
The Bearcats had 13 hits in the game, led by Finn, McElfish and Kilkeary with three each.  Davis (0-1) took the loss, giving up four runs, but none were earned. 
 
Saint Vincent returns to action on Monday (March 5) in Winter Haven, taking on Husson University at 9AM.