LATROBE, Pa. (May 3) – On Senior Day at Bearcat Ballfield, the Saint Vincent baseball team split a doubleheader against Thiel College, winning a 3-2 pitcher's duel in the opener, before dropping a 17-13 slugfest in the nightcap.
 
Prior to the Bearcats' final doubleheader of the season, the squad's 10-man senior class of Connor Bannias, Billy Perroz, J'Shawn Taylor, Matt Lockwich, Jeremy Kreuzwieser, Alex Hess, Dalton Nicklow, Andrew Root, Nate Davis and Austin Tirpak were recognized in an on-field ceremony.
 
 
Game One: Saint Vincent 3, Thiel 2
In the opener, the Bearcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning and then rode stellar pitching performances from starter Tyler Dancu and closer Alex Polito to the victory.
 
The Bearcats jumped out to a lead they would not relinquish in the second inning, when Nicklow led off the frame with a mammoth home run to left-center field. The hosts would then promptly add onto the lead, as Derek Hald reached on an error and was drive home on a Hess triple to right field to make it 2-0.
 
After Dancu allowed just one baserunner over the first three innings, the Tomcats would crack the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, using an error, wild pitch, and single to score an unearned run and trim the deficit in half, 2-1.
 
Saint Vincent answered right back in the bottom of the fourth. Hald drew a leadoff walk, before Dylan Schmude beat out a basehit bunt, on which the subsequent throw sailed into the right field corner, putting runners at second and third. Tirpak then followed with a textbook at bat, shooting a ground ball to the right side to plate Hald with SVC's third run of the game.
 
In the top of the fifth, Thiel's Chase Morrison led off with a single to center, and then took second on an errant pickoff attempt. A single put runners at first and third, before Dancu induced a 6-4-3 double play, scoring Morrison to again make it a one-run game.
 
Dancu induced another twin killing to throw a scoreless top of the sixth, before the Tomcats threatened in the seventh, using two singles to put runners at first and second with one out. Dancu then got a routine groundout to second, moving both runners into scoring position, before he escaped the jam with a strikeout to preserve the lead.
 
Polito would then come on in the top of the eighth, allowing just one hit over the final two frames to close out the victory with his second save of the year.
 
Dancu picked up his third win of the season after allowing two runs (none earned) on nine hits, with eight strikeouts and zero walks.
 
Offensively, Hess, Schmude and Vincent Amatucci each had two hits, while Taylor drew three walks.
 
Alec Katon pitched well in the loss for Thiel, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits, with six strikeouts.
 
Game Two: Thiel 17, Saint Vincent 13
In the season finale at Bearcat Ballfield, the Bearcats cracked 17 hits, including seven for extra bases, but six errors by the defense led to six unearned runs, while the SVC pitching staff issued eight walks.
 
Typically a starting pitcher for the Bearcats, Michael Klingensmith got the nod in centerfield and was the game's offensive star, bashing two home runs and driving in four RBIs.
 
After their pregame recognition, the Bearcat seniors combined for a big offensive day in defeat, as Nicklow went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs, Hess went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and Perroz had two hits and scored two runs.
 
Schmude had another multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored.
 
The Bearcats again jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first, with Amatucci opening the scoring with an RBI single, before Nicklow smashed a two-run double to the fence in left.
 
The hosts doubled up their lead in the bottom of the third. With one out, Perroz laced a double to center, before scoring on Nicklow's two-bagger to the left field corner to make it 4-0. After Klingensmith walked, Nicklow crossed the plate on a wild pitch for SVC's fifth run, before Hess lined a single to right-center to plate Klingensmith and open up a 6-0 advantage.
 
The Tomcats then responded in a big way in the top of the fourth, sending 10 men to the plate to score eight runs on five hits and two errors and jump in front, 8-6.
 
Schmude opened the bottom of the fourth with a walk, before taking second on a stolen base, advancing to third on a balk, and scoring on Amatucci's sacrifice fly to center to cut the deficit to 8-7.
 
The slugfest continued in the bottom of the fifth. After Tirpak began the frame with a walk, Klingensmith hit his first bomb of the afternoon to put the Bearcats back in front, 9-8. With two outs, Jimmy Davis and Schmude cracked back-to-back singles, before a hustling Davis scored from second on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 10-8.
 
The advantage was short-lived, as the Tomcats came back with another lengthy inning, as they batted around in the sixth and scored four runs on three hits and two errors to jump in front, 12-10. The damage could have been greater, but Klingensmith's diving catch just in front of the center field fence ended the inning and left the bases loaded.
 
The pendulum then swung back in favor of the Bearcats in the bottom of the sixth, as Nicklow led off with a walk and scored on Tirpak's double to the left-center gap to close the margin to 12-11. Klingensmith then followed with his second dinger in as many innings, with his second no-doubter putting the hosts back in front, 13-12.
 
Thiel punched back in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs on two hits, a hit batter, and two walks to regain the lead, 16-13.
 
In the seventh, SVC put runners at first and second after singles from Nicklow and Tirpak, but this time, could not come up with the big hit, as the deficit remained at three runs.

After seeing the success that both offenses were enjoying in the game, Mother Nature would then make an impact with her first, and only, at-bat of the afternoon, forcing a 52-minute lightning delay in the middle of the eighth inning.
 
Following the delay, the Tomcats added on one run in the top of the ninth, and the Bearcats were unable to offer one more answer, as Nicklow's two-out single in the bottom of the inning proved to be the team's final baserunner of the year.
 
Five SVC pitchers saw action in the loss. Sean McAleer started and worked into the fourth inning, allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits in the no-decision. Davis took the loss, allowing two runs on a hit, walk, and hit batter in an inning.
 
With the split, the Bearcats close the season with an 11-25 overall record and 8-12 mark in conference play.