AUBURNDALE, Florida (Mar. 5)- The Saint Vincent baseball team opened their season up with a doubleheader sweep of Marian (Wis.) University, winning a pair of one run game, winning the first game 2-1 in ten innings and the second game 5-4.
 
Jayke Saiani was the hero in game one, hitting a walk off single in the tenth inning scoring Dylan Schmude for the Bearcats win in their season opener. In game two it was Zack VonStein who came up in the clutch, with the game-winning RBI single in the top half of the seventh inning.
 
Game One- Saint Vincent 2, Marian (Wis.) 1
It was a pitcher's duel to say the least in game one as both starting pitchers were sharp in the season opener.
 
Jeremy Kreuzwieser was the starter on the mound for the Bearcats in game one. Kreuzwieser three 4.2 innings, giving up just one earned run on four hits. He also struck out six Sabres and walked just two batters in his four plus innings of work.
 
The Saint Vincent relievers were strong as well. In their 5.1 innings of relief action the Bearcats shutout the Sabres over the final five and a third innings., giving up just five hits and striking out four. Jacob Hess was the first SVC reliever out of the pen as he worked 0.2 innings in relief, giving up one hit.
 
Sean McAleer relieved Hess and he went 3.2 innings in relief, giving up just two hits and striking out four Marian batters. Michael Klingensmith picked up the win in relief for Saint Vincent as he threw one inning, holding the Sabres scoreless in his one inning of work.
 
Offensively Kyle Belmont led the Bearcats with two hits in his five at bats. Jordan Sabol registered just one official plate appearance as he walked four times while also scoring one run for SVC. Billy Perroz recorded a hit and RBI in the season opener for Saint Vincent. Matthew Lockwich, Connor Bannias, along with Saiani all had one hit each.
 
Marian cracked the scoreboard first as the Sabres led the game off with a walk, stolen base, followed by a double as the Sabres took a 1-0 lead. After Saint Vincent was set down in the bottom half of the first inning, the Bearcats held the Sabres scoreless over the next two innings as Marian still held a 1-0 lead heading into the third inning.
 
In the bottom half of the third inning, Saint Vincent got on the scoreboard. Sabol walked and stole second. Belmont followed Sabol's walk with a single that advanced Sabol to third base and the Bearcats were in business with no outs in the inning.
 
After a strikeout, Perroz knocked in his first RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Sabol to tie the game up at 1-1 heading to the fourth inning.
 
Over the next few innings, the hot start offensively for both teams came to an end. Neither the Bearcats nor Sabres could crack the scoreboard as the game remained tied at 1-1 heading into the sixth inning. The Bearcats threatened to score the leading run in the next couple of innings.
 
In the sixth inning, the Bearcats left one on base in the sixth after Bannias roped a single up the middle and they left the bases loaded in the seventh, as game one of the doubleheaders went into extra innings. In the top half of the eighth inning, Marian got two runners on base in scoring position but McAleer held them in check, sending the game to the bottom half of the eighth.
 
As the game headed to the ninth inning, the Bearcats once again threatened to win the game on a walk off. Alex Hess reached base on a throwing error and Sabol followed it up with a walk putting the Bearcats in business. After a groundout by Belmont moved Sabol and Hess each into scoring position, the Bearcats were once again held without any runs, sending the game to the tenth inning.
 
In the top half of the tenth, the Sabres had one runner reach base on a single but the Bearcats held him from crossing the plate as the game once again went to the bottom half of the inning still tied at 1-1.
 
Perroz led off the bottom half of the inning with a single and advanced to second after a groundout by L.J. Evans and Schmude enter the game to pinch run for Perroz. After an errant pick off attempt to second base Schmude advanced 90-feet as the potential winning run. After a strikeout that's when Saiani singled on a ground ball right up the middle, scoring Schmude, sealing the 2-1 win for the Bearcats.
 
The Bearcats scored two runs on six hits as a team in the season opening victory.
 
Game Two- Saint Vincent 5, Marian (Wis.) 4
It was another tight one run game in game two. Nate Davis got the ball for the Bearcats, recording his first career win on the mound in a Saint Vincent uniform.
 
Davis worked six innings, giving up four earned runs on four hits. He racked up eight strikeouts, while walking three in the in for the Bearcats. Casey Jones picked up his first save of the season on the mound as he pitched the seventh inning, giving up one hit and striking out three of the four batters he faced in the inning.
 
After scoring the game-winning run in game one, Schmude two hits in three at-bats scoring two runs and driving in one run, while also scoring two runs. Derek Hald, Bannias, and Sabol had the other three hits in the game for Saint Vincent.
 
Dimitri Gary and Devin Bonnie each drove in runs in the second game win for Saint Vincent as well.
 
Just as they did in game one, Marian once again got on the scoreboard first in game two. The Sabres got a runner on in the bottom half of the first inning as the Sabres Jonah Landowski launched a two-run homer, giving the Sabres a 2-0 lead.
 
Over the next inning neither team was able to advance any runners across the plate as Marian still held a 2-0 lead heading into the third inning. In the third inning, the Bearcats took their zero off of the scoreboard to tie the game at 2-2.
 
After a groundout to start the inning, Schmude singled up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Sabol then laced an RBI-single to right field scoring Schmude to cut the lead to 2-1. Belmont answered Sabol's single with a single of his own advancing to Sabol to third.
 
Gary answered that with an RBI sacrifice fly that scored Sabol to tie the game up at 2-2. The Bearcats looked to add more as Perroz ripped a ball to right field, but it was caught to end the inning.
 
After Davis set the Sabres down in order in the bottom half of the third, the offense came back alive in the top of the fourth. After a strikeout to start the inning Bannias singled up the middle and Hald followed that with a double to left field, advancing Bannias to third and Saint Vincent had two runners in scoring position with one out.
 
That's when Bonnie came through cutch with a single through the right side that scored Bannias, giving the Bearcats a 3-2 lead and they weren't done yet. Schmude then hit an RBI groundout to second base scoring Hald, increasing the SVC lead to 4-2.
 
In the bottom half of the fourth inning, the Sabres answered. Marian tied the game up 4-4 in the bottom half of the inning. The next two innings flew by as each pitcher held the other team scoreless and the game headed to the seventh inning all tied up.
 
In the top half of the seventh Schmude singled and VonStein ripped a game-winning RBI single for the Bearcats scoring Schmude. In the bottom half of the seventh inning after Jones gave up a lead off single, he struck out the next three batters to close out the win for the Bearcats.
 
The Bearcats scored five runs on eight hits while also making one error in the game two win. Saint Vincent will be back in action tomorrow, Monday, March 6 at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Florida. The Bearcats will take on Trine on Monday.