LATROBE, Pa. (Mar. 31)- The Saint Vincent baseball team split a home doubleheader against Franciscan on Tuesday at Bearcat Ballfield.
 
The Bearcats dropped the opener by a score of 9-3, before earning a 6-1 victory in game two.
 
Game 1- Franciscan 9, Saint Vincent 3
The Saint Vincent baseball team dropped a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup to Franciscan University on Tuesday afternoon at Bearcat Ballfield, falling by a 9-3 final.
 
The Bearcats struck first in the bottom of the opening inning. Ryan Tierney opened the frame with a double, moved to third after Jacob Auld reached on an error and came home on another Franciscan miscue when Jack Murphy reached first, giving SVC an early 1-0 lead.
 
Saint Vincent held that advantage through the first two innings before the Barons answered in the top of the third. Andrew Hunton delivered a two-run double to right field to put Franciscan in front, and Zachary Cook followed with an RBI single up the middle to make it 3-1.
 
Franciscan added to its lead in the fifth, when Cook singled to right to drive in two more runs, pushing the margin to 5-1. The Barons tacked on two more in the sixth, first on an error that allowed a run to score and then on an RBI single from Nicholas Peffer, extending the lead to 7-1.
 
The Bearcats answered in the bottom of the seventh. Armani LoRusso singled and later scored on an RBI single from Tierney, while Chuck Fontana followed with an RBI groundout to plate Dylan Schmude and trim the deficit to 7-3.
 
Franciscan put the game away in the ninth on a two-run single by Matteo Lindia, making it the eventual 9-3 final.
 
Tierney led Saint Vincent offensively, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored, while LoRusso added a 2-for-4 day with a run scored. Fontana also doubled and drove in a run for the Bearcats, who finished with six hits in the contest.
 
On the mound, Nolan Hurd took the loss after allowing five runs on six hits over 4.1 innings, striking out five. Connor Soska worked 1.2 innings in relief, while Jack Reichart tossed the final three innings.
 
Game 2- Saint Vincent 6, Franciscan 1
The Saint Vincent baseball team earned a split of Tuesday's Presidents' Athletic Conference doubleheader against Franciscan University, taking game two by a 6-1 final at Bearcat Ballfield.
 
The Bearcats improved to 7-15 overall, while the Barons fell to 4-12.
 
After three scoreless innings to open the game, Saint Vincent broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Isiah Petty started the rally with a double to right center and Nolan Hurd followed with a walk.
 
After Brooklyn Hicks moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt, Garrett Brady singled to right field to bring home both Petty and Hurd for a 2-0 Bearcats lead.
 
The Bearcats added two more runs in the fifth inning to stretch the advantage to 4-0. Ben Hudson singled and stole second before advancing to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Hudson then scored on a passed ball, while Reid Rachwal later came home on a sacrifice fly by Jack Murphy.
 
Saint Vincent continued to add on in the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, Brooklyn Hicks scored on a sacrifice fly from Ryan Finniff to make it 5-0. In the seventh, Rachwal scored on Murphy's second sacrifice fly of the day, pushing the margin to 6-0.
 
Franciscan got on the board in the top of the eighth, when Michael Manocchio singled to right to score Josiah Bodie, but that would be the Barons' only run of the game as Saint Vincent closed out the 6-1 victory.
 
Brady led the Bearcats offensively by going 2-for-3 with a game-high two RBIs, while Hudson, Rachwal, Petty and Hicks each scored a run. Petty doubled, Rachwal finished with a hit and two walks, and Murphy drove in two runs on a pair of sacrifice flies. Saint Vincent totaled six hits and drew seven walks in the win.
 
On the mound, Andrew Bell was outstanding, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing just five hits and two walks with six strikeouts to earn the win. Jacob Auld worked the final two innings in relief, allowing one run on two hits while striking out two.
 
Saint Vincent returns to action on Wednesday, April 8 with a home PAC matchup against Chatham. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Bearcat Ballfield.