LATROBE, Pa. (April 11) – Behind a pair of late-game comebacks, the Saint Vincent baseball team swept Thiel in a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader at Bearcat Ballfield, running their winning streak to eight games.
 
In the opener, T.J. Dailey's two-strike, two-out grand slam in the bottom of the sixth propelled the Bearcats (12-8, 8-2 PAC) to an 11-6 win over the Tomcats (8-14, 4-8 PAC, before the Bearcats scored six runs over the seventh and eighth innings to erase a 5-3 deficit and win the nightcap 9-7.
 
Game One – Saint Vincent 11, Thiel 6
 
The Bearcats opened the day's scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first in game one. Casey Jones smacked a one-out single to left, before Jordan Sabol was hit by a pitch. Dailey followed with a double to the fence in center, bringing home Jones, while Billy Perroz then hit an RBI groundout to bring home Sabol and make it 2-0.
 
The Tomcats plated one run in the top of the second but SVC answered right back in the bottom half. Zack VonStein and Dimitri Gary each walked to open the inning, before VonStein came home on an error off of a ball hit by Julian Santana. Gary then scored SVC's fourth run on an RBI groundout by Jones.
 
Thiel's Jaymen Wentling homered to lead off the top of the fifth and cut the deficit to 4-2, but SVC countered with a single tally in the home half when Jones drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a Sabol sacrifice bunt and scored on a Perroz single to center to up the lead to 5-2.
 
Thiel put together a lengthy top of the sixth, sending nine men to the plate and scoring four runs on six hits to take their first lead of the day, 6-5. It was short-lived.
 
Kyle Belmont and Santana each singled to open the bottom of the sixth, before Sabol was hit by a pitch with two outs to load the bases. On a full-count pitch, Dailey then launched his team-leading third home run of the year well over the fence in left-center to clear the bases and put SVC in front, 9-6.
 
Following the Dailey bomb, Perroz singled to center and Zach Barberich was hit by a pitch, before VonStein brought them both home with a double to the left field corner to up the lead to 11-6.
 
In the top of the sixth, Tyler Chrise came on from the bullpen. Thiel's Andrew Rago laced a ball to the corner in left to lead off the frame, but was cut down at second base on a bullet by SVC left fielder John Evans for the inning's first out. After issuing a walk, Chrise would then induce a fly out and a ground out to seal the wild victory.
 
Dailey and Perroz each had two hits to pace the Bearcats, with Dailey driving in five RBIs and Perroz two. Jones singled, walked and scored two runs, while VonStein doubled, walked and drove in two.
 
Justin Wright started on the mound for SVC and got the no-decision, allowing three runs in five innings with three strikeouts. After recording the final two outs in the top of the sixth before the SVC comeback, freshman Tristan Bedillion earned his first career victory.
 
Game Two – Saint Vincent 9, Thiel 7
 
The nightcap began as a pitcher's duel between SVC's Barberich and Thiel's Alex Lux, as the two teams combined for just five hits and zero runs over the first four innings.
 
As was the case in the opener, SVC took the lead first, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Dailey led off with a single to left and scored on Jayke Saiani's RBI double to left to make it 1-0. A double by Matthew Lockwich put runners at second and third, before Saiani scampered home on a wild pitch and Lockwich scored on a Belmont sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
 
Thiel answered back with a long top of the sixth, scoring five runs on four hits to take. 5-3 lead, before adding on with another run in the top of the seventh to take a four-run lead.
 
Perroz led off the bottom of the seventh with a line drive home run to straightaway center, before Saiani and Lockwich walked, putting runners at first and second. A perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from Belmont moved both runners up 90 feet, before Wright laced a pinch-hit single up the middle to score both runners and tie the game at 6-6.
 
After SVC reliever Jacob Polosky threw a scoreless eighth, Dailey and Perroz hit back-to-back singles to start another rally in the bottom of the eighth. Saiani then laid down a bunt in front of the plate, and in an attempt to get Dailey at third, the Thiel throw sailed wide of the bag an into the Bearcat bullpen, bringing home Dailey from second and Perroz from first to give the lead back to SVC, 8-6. Lockwich followed with a double to left to plate Saiani with the Bearcats' ninth run.
 
Polosky got the first two outs of the ninth before issuing a walk and a hit batter, bringing on Chrise from the bullpen for the second time on the day. The lefty walked the first batter he faced and surrendered a one-run single, but would retire the final batter on a strikeout to earn the save and seal the sweep.
 
Dailey, Perroz and Lockwich each had two hits and scored two runs in the win, while Saiani scored three runs.
 
Barberich started and took the no-decision, allowing five runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. Polosky earned his first career win out of the pen, allowing two runs on two hits in 3.0 innings of work, before giving way to Chrise, who earned his first save.

The Bearcats will now continue their busy week with another home doubleheader on Tuesday, April 12, playing host to Franciscan University beginning at 2 p.m. at Bearcat Ballfield.