DAVENPORT, Fla. (Mar. 8)- The Saint Vincent baseball team earned their first win of the 2024 season after a walk off 11-10 win in the ten innings against Anna Maria.
 
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth inning, Matthew Lockwich drew the game-winning walk, scoring Jacob Auld to win the game for the Bearcats (1-5). Saint Vincent battled back from two separate three-run deficits as Anna Maria (2-5) led 6-3 and 10-7.
 
The game, which began at 7:55 p.m. on Friday night did not end until after midnight early Saturday morning as the game eclipsed the four-hour mark going 4:27 in total time. 401 pitches were thrown between the two teams, while 14 different pitchers were used as well.
 
Alex Polito got the win on the mound for the Bearcats, pitching 2.1 innings, entering the game with two outs in the eighth inning and going the rest of the way for the Bearcats. Polito gave up just one hit, shutting out the Amcats over his 2.1 innings, striking out three batters and walking one batter.
 
The Bearcats starter, Jeremy Kreuzwieser, earned the no-decision, pitching 5.1 innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on three hits, while also walking six batters and striking out five Amcats.
 
Nate Davis also pitched a quality inning and a third in relief for the Bearcats as well, allowing just one hit, while striking out two and walking one batter.
 
Offensively, the Bearcats combined for just five hits, as five different players for SVC recorded those hits. Kyle Belmont went 1-5 with two runs scored, while Dalton Nicklow went 1-3 with two runs scored as well.
 
Coming off of the bench, Billy Perroz went 1-2 with four RBIs and one run scored, including his big bases clearing three-RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning. L.J. Evans and Lockwich both recorded three RBIs in the win for Saint Vincent as well, while Lockwich recorded one of the Bearcats five hits.
 
Mario Disso was the other Bearcat to record a hit, going 1-2 with one run scored.
 
Saint Vincent quickly found themselves playing from behind as Anna Maria opened up to a 2-0 lead in the 2^nd inning after a throwing error by the Bearcats on a bunt allowed two Amcats to come around to score.
 
However, the Bearcats quickly answered in the bottom half of the inning. Lockwich recorded his first RBI of the day, reaching on error by Anna Maria, allowing Austin Tirpak to come across to score, cutting the lead to 2-1.
 
SVC capitalized on another Amcats error later in the inning as well as Evans reached base on a throwing error, allowing Disso to score, tying the game up at 2-2.

After a scoreless third inning from both teams, Evans gave the Bearcats their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth with a sacrifice-fly to center field, scoring Lockwich as Saint Vincent led 3-2.
 
The Bearcat lead held steady through the fifth inning, before a big four-run top of the sixth allowed Anna Maria to go back ahead at 6-3. Saint Vincent had a response for the Amcats in the bottom of the seventh as the Bearcats scored four runs of their own to regain the lead.
 
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Perroz earned his first RBI of the day with a hit by pitch, scoring Belmont to cut the lead to 6-4. Alex Hess followed with an RBI-walk, scoring Auld as the Bearcats cut it to just one run at 6-5. Saint Vincent then tied the game a Lockwich single, scoring Nicklow.
 
Evans put SVC back ahead on a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Perroz as the Bearcats took a 7-6 lead going into the eighth inning.
 
In the eighth, Anna Maria once again had a response for the Bearcats big inning. The Amcats scored four runs for the second time in three innings as they regained a three-run, 10-7 lead over the Bearcats.
 
In the bottom half of the inning, with the bases loaded and one out, Perroz roped his bases clearing, three-RBI double into right center, scoring Nicklow, Belmont, and Dylan Schmude to tie the game at 10-10 heading into the ninth inning.
 
Neither team was able to plate any runs in the ninth and as the clock struck midnight, the game headed towards free baseball going into the tenth inning.
 
In the top half of the tenth, Polito stranded his two-out walk at first base to send the game tied into the bottom of the tenth.
 
Auld led the bottom of the tenth off with a four-pitch walk, followed by a Nicklow single, and Hess hit by pitch as the Bearcats loaded the bases.
 
After a slight delay due to the sprinklers on the field turning on, Lockwich stepped in and drew a four-pitch walk from the newly entered Amcats relief pitcher, scoring Auld to give the Bearcats their first win of the season.
 
Saint Vincent scored their 11 runs on five hits, while committing two errors in the contest. Anna Maria on the other hand scored ten runs on nine hits, committing three errors.
 
The Bearcats have a quick turnaround, concluding their Florida spring break trip with a matchup against Rutgers-Newark, today, March 9. First pitch is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport.