MUNHALL, Pa. (April 3) – Behind a pair of stellar pitching performances, the Saint Vincent baseball team swept a Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader from Chatham at West Field, winning both games by identical 3-2 scores.
By winning each end of the doubleheader, the Bearcats (6-8, 3-2 PAC) earned a sweep of the season series with the Cougars (5-11, 0-7 PAC) after defeating them 24 hours earlier in Latrobe by a 3-1 score.
GAME ONE – Saint Vincent 3, Chatham 2
In the opener, the Bearcats took an early lead in the top of the second. With two outs,
Justin Wright laced a ground-rule double, and promptly scored on a single from
Casey Jones.
SVC added some insurance in the top of the fourth.
Billy Perroz led off with a double, and was followed by another two-bagger from
Cameron Hyde to make it 2-1. After Hyde advanced to third on a groundout, he scampered home with SVC's third run on a wild pitch.
While the Bearcats staked him out to an early lead, starter
Zach Barberich was in control. The veteran hurler allowed just one runner over the first three frames, while recording six of the first nine outs via strikeout, including three Ks in the bottom of the second.
The Cougars cut into the SVC lead with an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth, using a single, stolen base and error to make it 3-1, before they scratched across their second unearned tally in the bottom of the sixth.
In the bottom of the seventh, Barberich gave way to his classmate Jones, who pitched around a leadoff walk to retire the final three batters in order to preserve the win and earn his first save.
Barberich finished with a line of 6.0 innings, four hits, two runs (both unearned) eight strikeouts and one walk to even his record at 1-1 on the season.
Offensively, the Bearcats tallied nine hits, with Jones and Perroz each finishing 2-for-3. Hyde, Wright,
Derek Hald,
Jordan Sabol and
Julian Santana also found the hits column.
GAME TWO - Saint Vincent 3, Chatham 2
The Bearcats again found the board first in the nightcap, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Sabol walked and Dailey followed with a long RBI double to center to make it 1-0. After Perroz and Hyde drew free passes, Dailey scampered home on a passed ball for the Bearcats' second run.
Chatham answered right back in the home half of the first inning, using three walks, a single and a sacrifice fly to plate a pair of runs and tie the score at 2-2.
From there, the pitching then took over for each side. SVC's
Andrew Root, who came on in relief in the bottom of the second inning, allowed just five Chatham baserunners between the third and eighth innings, while recording six strikeouts over the span.
Chatham's hurlers were equally impressive, as starter Dawson Morrow recovered from the long first inning by allowing just two hits over the next three frames, before giving way in the fifth to reliever Drew Schreck, who surrendered one hit and struck out four in his first three innings of work.
Schreck retired the first two SVC batters in the top of the eighth, before Dailey came through with a triple for his second extra-base hit of the game. Moments later, he raced home on a passed ball for the go-ahead run.
Root set the Cougars down in order in the bottom of the eighth, but ran into trouble in the ninth, with Chatham hitting back-to-back one-out singles. Head coach
Mick Janosko then summoned Jones to the mound once again. The veteran calmly recorded the game's final two outs, with a pop-up and a strikeout, to earn his second save of the day.
Root earned his first collegiate win, working 6.2 shutout innings, allowing just four hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
The Bearcats out-hit the Cougars 6-5, with Dailey the lone player from either side to finish with multiple hits, going 2-for-4. Santana, Sabol, Hyde and Jones added the team's other four hits.
Saint Vincent will now face a quick turnaround, as they will be back home for a PAC doubleheader against Geneva on Monday, April 4, beginning at 1 p.m.
