LATROBE, Pa. (Apr. 17)- The Saint Vincent baseball team earned an important Presidents Athletic Conference sweep against Thiel at Bearcat Ballfield on senior day.
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Saint Vincent came back from a six-run deficit to win game won 12-11 in a thrilling 14-inning game. SVC followed that up with a 14-4 victory in a darkness shortened game two to complete the doubleheader sweep.
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Prior to the game, Saint Vincent honored their 2026 senior class. Student Assistant Caleb Leechalk, along with players,
Ben Hudson,
Gavin Switzer,
T.J. Bucy,
Garrett Knapp, and
Dylan Schmude were all honored during the senior ceremony before game one.
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Game 1- Saint Vincent 12, Thiel 11 (14 Innings)
The Saint Vincent College baseball team rallied from an early six-run deficit and scored twice in the bottom of the 14th inning to earn a dramatic 12-11 Presidents' Athletic Conference victory over Thiel College Friday afternoon at Bearcat Field.
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Trailing 10-6 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Bearcats put together a four-run frame to force extra innings.
Jacob Auld sparked the comeback with a three-run home run to left that scored
Isiah Petty and
T.J. Bucy, trimming the deficit to one. Later in the inning,
Nolan Hurd drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home
Ryan Finniff and even the score at 10-10.
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Thiel jumped out quickly, scoring twice in the first inning before adding four runs in the fourth to build a 6-0 lead. Saint Vincent answered with two runs in the fifth, getting an RBI sacrifice fly from
Reid Rachwal and an RBI double from
Chuck Fontana.
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After the Tomcats added two more in the sixth, the Bearcats chipped away with an RBI single from Finniff in the bottom half of the inning, then pulled within 8-5 in the seventh on an RBI single by Petty and an RBI groundout from
Garrett Brady.
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Thiel pushed its lead back to 10-5 with a pair of unearned runs in the eighth, but Saint Vincent answered with an unearned run of its own in the bottom half, then completed its comeback in the ninth. The game remained tied until the 14th, when the Tomcats plated a run in the top of the inning to move back in front, 11-10. In the bottom half, Petty singled to left to score Hurd and tie the game once again, before
Armani LoRusso delivered the walk-off RBI single through the right side to score Petty and give the Bearcats the 12-11 win.
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Saint Vincent finished with 19 hits in the victory.
Dylan Schmude led the way by going 4-for-7, while Petty went 2-for-7 with two runs scored and two RBIs. LoRusso was 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI, Finniff finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI, and Bucy added two hits.
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Auld's pinch-hit three-run homer in the ninth proved to be the biggest swing of the day, while Fontana doubled and drove in a run.
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On the mound,
Connor Soska earned the win with 4.2 innings of relief, allowing one run on five hits while striking out one.
Jason Forgey started and went four innings, while
Garrett Knapp,
Gavin Roebuck, and
Jack Reichart also saw time in relief as the Bearcats pieced together the comeback victory.
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With the win, Saint Vincent improved to 10-19 overall and 6-9 in PAC play, while Thiel fell to 7-25 overall and 3-12 in the conference.
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Game 2- Saint Vincent 14, Thiel 4 (5.2 Innings; Game Called Due to Darkness)
The Saint Vincent College baseball team completed a doubleheader sweep of Thiel College with a dominant 14-4 victory in game two of Friday's Presidents' Athletic Conference twinbill at Bearcat Field.
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With the win, the Bearcats improve to 11-19 overall and 7-9 in PAC play.
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Saint Vincent wasted no time setting the tone offensively, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning before adding two more in the second and third to build a 6-2 advantage through three innings. The Bearcats continued to apply pressure throughout the game, scoring in five of the six innings played.
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After Thiel trimmed the deficit to 2-0 in the second inning, Saint Vincent responded immediately and never allowed the Tomcats to gain momentum. The Bearcats added a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth before breaking the game open with a five-run sixth inning to account for the 14-4 final.
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Saint Vincent's offense was explosive and efficient, finishing with 14 runs on 14 hits.
Isiah Petty led the way with a perfect 4-for-4 performance, driving in two runs.
Reid RachwalÂ
l added two hits and two RBIs, while
Dylan Schmude recorded two hits and an RBI.
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Additional production came from throughout the lineup, as
Traynor Janosko drove in two runs and reached base four times, while
Lane Golkosky scored three runs and added two RBIs.
Chuck Fontana and
T.J. Bucy also contributed RBI hits as the Bearcats showcased a balanced offensive attack.
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On the mound,
Nolan Hurd earned the win, tossing five innings and allowing just two runs on five hits while working around traffic and limiting damage.
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Gavin Switzer closed out the game in relief, allowing two runs—both unearned—over the final inning as the Bearcats secured the shortened victory.
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The game was called after 5.2 innings due to darkness.
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Saint Vincent returns to action on Tuesday, April 21 with a road non-conference matchup at La Roche. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Pittsburgh for the single 9-inning game on Tuesday afternoon.
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