Hamburg, N.Y.- D'Youville came from behind in each game of their AMCC doubleheader at Hilbert and each time the Spartans and did it in dramatic fashion. Twice the Spartans put together huge innings in the top of seventh to get the win.
It was a back and forth opening game of baseball's doubleheader at Hilbert College. In the end D'Youville scored 6 runs in the top of the seventh to come from behind and take game one 12-8.
The Spartans jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Tayler Sheridan (Kitchener, ONT/Grand River Collegiate Institute) RBI single. D'Youville trailed 2-1 after three, and took a 4-3 in the fourth inning after Sheridan doubled home two more runs. The freshman catcher had a career-high 3 RBI and went 2-4.
The home team scored three in the last of the sixth to go up 8-6, setting up the Spartan's come from behind effort.
Matt Veronica (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) opened the frame with a hit by pitch, his fifth of the season. Sheridan singled. DJ Zanghi (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) beat out a bunt to load the bases. Kyle Taylor (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) hit a one-out RBI single. Brent Gibbs (Wayland, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) cranked a three-run double. Jay Senozetnik (Eden, NY/Eden) followed with an RBI double and Eric Simoncelli (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg) doubled him home making the score 12-8.
Gibbs came on in the bottom of the seventh with one out and runners on second and third to close out the game and needed nine pitches to get a fly out and a strikeout for his first save of the season.
Senozetnik started the game, went six and a third and struck out six for his first win of the season.
Spartan bats were active in game one smacking 15 hits, 6 being doubles. Zanghi stayed hot recording his second-straight two-hit game. Gibbs was 3-5, Simoncelli 3-4 with 3 RBI, and Matt Wendling (Cheektowaga, NY/Maryvale) was 2-4 with a double.
Game two saw D'Youville jump out to an early 8-1 but saw Hilbert answer back with six in the third and two in the fourth to take a 9-8 lead.
D'Youville scored one in the sixth to tie the game at 9-9, setting up for a another huge effort in their final at-bat. The Spartans scored seven runs on six hits an an error. The big blow came on a Brent Gibbs three-run homer. Gibbs had 4 RBI in game two, seven RBI for the afternoon.
Jay Senozetnik came on in relief in the fifth inning and gave up just two hits and kept Hilbert scoreless to earn the win. It is the first time in recent memory a Spartan pitcher got the win in both ends of a doubleheader. Senozetnik did damage at the plate too, going 4-5 with 2 RBI. Eric Simoncelli was 3-5 with two doubles and 4 RBI.
The two wins move D'Youville to 7-16 overall and 5-7 in the AMCC. It is the team's highest win total since 2003. The Spartans are now very much in the hunt for a berth into the AMCC Tournament.
The Spartans will play La Roche College April 27 at Coca-Cola Field. Prior to the game the team's two seniors, Brent Gibbs and DJ Zanghi, will be honored. Doubleheader start time at the downtown Buffalo stadium is 1:00 p.m. Admission is free.
