BETHANY, W.Va. (April 20) – The Saint Vincent baseball team extended its program-record winning streak to 13 games with a sweep of Bethany in a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader.
In the opener, the Bearcats came back from an early deficit to claim a 3-2 win, while in the nightcap,
Casey Jones' two-out RBI single in the top of the 11th inning gave the Bearcats a 2-1 victory.
The two wins move the Bearcats to 17-8 overall and 13-2 in the PAC, while Bethany drops to 14-15 overall and 6-10 in conference play.
Game One: Saint Vincent 3, Bethany 2
In the opener, the Bearcats scored three runs over the final two innings, capped off with a seventh-inning RBI double from
Jordan Sabol, to come back from an early 2-0 deficit and extend their winning streak to 12 games.
Jones threw a gem on the mound for the Bearcats, working a 7-inning complete game and allowing two runs (both unearned) on just three hits, while striking out six.
The Bison took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first without the aid of a hit, scratching the run across by way of a hit batter, catcher's interference, passed ball and sacrifice fly. The hosts would then double-up their lead with another unearned tally in the bottom of the second.
After being limited to just one hit through the first four innings, the Bearcat offense awoke in the top of the fifth.
Jayke Saiani singled to lead off, moved to second on a
Zach Barberich sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on a
Justin Wright single. Saiani then scored SVC's first run thanks to a
Julian Santana sacrifice fly.
In the top of the sixth,
TJ Dailey led off with his team-leading sixth home run of the season to tie the game at 2-2, before the Bearcats sealed the comeback win with a run in the top of the seventh.
With one out, Santana reached on an error and promptly stole second base. Two batters later, Sabol laced a two-out double to left center to bring home Santana with the eventual game-winning run.
While the SVC offense pieced together the late-game comeback, Jones settled down after the lengthy first two innings to put forth a masterful effort on the mound. After the second inning, the veteran righty faced just two batters over the minimum, and retired the side in order in all but the sixth inning.
Saiani and
John Evans each had two hits for the Bearcats, while Dailey reached base twice, on his home run and walk.
Game Two: Saint Vincent 2, Bethany 1 (11 innings)
The Bearcats took an early 1-0 lead in the nightcap, scoring the game's first run in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Sabol walked, moved to second on a Dailey single and scored on a
Billy Perroz RBi single to left.
Bethany manufactured a run in the bottom of the third to tie it, using an infield single, sacrifice bunt, and a fielder's choice to make it a 1-1 game.
After the early offense, the game then settled into a classic pitcher's duel between SVC's
Jeremy Kruezweiser and Bethany's Alec Berg, as the two teams combined for no runs and just four hits between the fourth and ninth innings.
Bethany's best chance to take the lead came in the bottom of the fifth, as the Bison loaded the bases on two walks and a single, but Kruezweiser pitched out of the jam by getting an inning-ending groundout.
In the next half inning, the Bearcats threatened, with Sabol walking and Dailey reaching on an error with one out. The two would then each steal a base to move into scoring position, but Sabol was cut down at the plate on a fielder's choice ground out for the second out before Berg escaped trouble with an inning-ending pop-up.
The two teams would combine for just three more base runners through the ninth inning, as the game remained tied heading into extra innings.
The Bearcats saw two men reach base in the top of the 10th, with Wright drawing a walk and Evans singling, but they were each stranded after a pair of ground-outs. SVC's
Tyler Chrise, on in relief of Kruezweiser, then retired Bethany in order in the bottom of the tenth to set up SVC's 11th-inning rally.
After a pair of quick outs,
Austin Tirpak drew a walk and
Derek Hald singled, before Jones laced a single to center to plate pinch-runner
Owen Kitts with the go-ahead run. Chrise then set the Bison down in order for the third straight inning to seal the victory.
Kruezweiser produced the Bearcats' second masterful start of the afternoon, working 8.0 innings and allowing one run on just three hits with seven strikeouts. Chrise was just as impressive in his three innings of relief, retiring all nine batters he faced, with two strikeouts, to earn his second win of the season.
Offensively, Hald and Dailey each went 2-for-5, while Sabol walked twice. Evans, Perroz, Bonine and Wright also found the hit column.
Bethany's Berg also started and worked 8.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits with seven K's, before yielding to Zach Pressnell, who was saddled with the loss after throwing 3.0 innings and allowing the winning run in the 11th.
Saint Vincent will now continue its busy week with a single, nine-inning home meeting with PAC leader Washington & Jefferson on Thursday, April 21, at 4 p.m. at Bearcat Ballfield.
