NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Mar. 16)- The Saint Vincent baseball team split a double header to conclude a four-game series with the Apprentice School in Newport News.
 
In game one, the Bearcats earned a comeback 10-8 win after a six-run seventh inning pushed them to victory. SVC followed that up in game two with a 6-5 defeat by the Builders, where the Bearcats left the tying run and go-ahead run in scoring position to end the game.
 
GAME ONE- Saint Vincent 10, Apprentice School 8.
 
The Bearcats used a 11-hit, ten-run offensive eruption to power to the victory over the Apprentice School in the third game of the four-game series.
 
Saint Vincent led 4-1 through three innings before the Builders outscored the Bearcats 6-0 over the next three innings as SVC trailed 7-4. Saint Vincent answered with a six-run seventh inning, limiting the Apprentice School to just one in the bottom of the inning to earn the 10-8 win.
 
Billy Perroz led the way for Saint Vincent offensively, going 3-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Austin Tirpak, Jacob Auld, and L.J. Evans all recorded two RBIs in the win for SVC as well.
 
Mario Disso went 2-3, while Alex Hess went 1-4 with an RBI to add to SVC's total. Vincent Amatucci added one hit in his three at bats, scoring two runs and driving one in as well.
 
On the mound, Jacob Hess earned the win, pitching one inning in relief, giving up one run on two hits. Cody May came in to relieve Hess with two outs in the seventh inning, earning the one-out save, stranding the tying run at first base.
 
Jeremy Kreuzweiser got the start on the bump for the Bearcats, pitching 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on six hits. He also struck out four batters and walked three.
 
The Saint Vincent bats got going early on as the Bearcats scored three to kick the game off in the top of the first.
 
Amatucci got Saint Vincent on the board with a double down the left field line, scoring Dylan Schmude to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead. SVC continued to drive the ball as Perroz followed with a double to right center, scoring Amatucci and then Tirpak drove a single up the middle, scoring Perroz as the Bearcats led 3-0.
 
The Builders plated a run in the bottom of the inning to cut the Saint Vincent lead to 3-1, but after a scoreless second inning, SVC added another run. Auld roped an RBI double in the third, scoring Tirpak as the Bearcats lead was 4-1 heading into the fourth.
 
The next three innings belonged to the Builders. The Apprentice School outscored Saint Vincent 6-0 over the next three innings as they held a 7-4 lead, looking to win the series going into the seventh inning, but the Bearcats had other thoughts in mind.
 
The Bearcats exploded for a six-run seventh inning to take a 10-7 lead. Tirpak, Auld, Hess and Schmude all recorded an RBI in the big offensive inning for Saint Vincent. Evans had two RBIs in the inning, both coming on his single to left center which scored Auld and J'Shawn Taylor.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Hess recorded the first two outs for Saint Vincent but did give up a run and was pulled from the game with runners on first and second. That's when May came in and slammed the door shut on the game, enforcing a fielder's choice to short to give Saint Vincent their second win of the season.
 
The Apprentice School totaled 15 hits, committing one error as well over the course of the third game of the series. Justin Bradshaw took the loss on the mound in relief for the Builders.
 
GAME TWO- Apprentice School 6, Saint Vincent 5
 
In game two, the Bearcats took the first lead once again with a 1-0 lead in the first. The Apprentice School went on to hold the Bearcats scoreless over the next three innings, while they score three of their own to take 4-1 lead.
 
SVC answered with a four-run fifth inning to regain the lead at 5-4, but the Builders scored two in the bottom of the fifth which turned out to be the difference in the game as the Bearcats were defeated 6-5.
 
Amatucci led the way for Saint Vincent going 2-4. Perroz went 1-4 with an RBI, while Schmude also went 1-4, also scoring two runs. Derek Hald and Hess each added one hit a piece. Hald also walked twice in the loss.
 
Sean McAleer started on the hill for Saint Vincent, pitching 4.1 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits. He also struck out six and walked one in the loss as well.
 
Troy Gilpin and Andrew Root each pitched scoreless outings in relief for SVC.
 
Perroz got the Bearcats going in the top half of the first as he smacked a single to left field, scoring Schmude to take a 1-0 lead.
 
The Bearcat bats were silenced over the next three innings, while the Builders scored two runs in each of the second and fourth innings to take a 4-1 lead over Saint Vincent.
 
Saint Vincent wouldn't go down without a fight as the Bearcats scored four runs in the fifth inning. Hald led the inning off with a walk and after a hit from Hess, Schmude reached safely on an error by the shortstop, scoring Hald to cut the lead to 4-2.
 
Disso followed and dropped down a sac bunt in which the ball was thrown away, scoring both Hess and Hald to tie the game at 4-4. The Bearcats took the lead back after a sac-fly from Tirpak scored Mario Disso as the score was 5-4 in favor of SVC.
 
In the bottom half of the inning, the Builders scored two of their own runs to take a 6-5 lead and that would be the difference.
 
Saint Vincent was shutout in both the sixth and seventh innings, stranding the tying run at third base and go ahead run at second base to conclude the game in the seventh inning.
 
The Bearcats scored their five runs on six hits, while also making an error. The Apprentice School on the other hand scored six runs on nine hits, committing two errors.