West Seneca, NY-D'Youville rallied from a 4-0 deficit, tied the game, and later won the game on a Garatt Kerr (London, Ontario, Regina Mundi) two-out three-run walk-off homer in extra innings to beat Hilbert 7-4 in the nightcap of today's AMCC doubleheader at Veterans Memorial Park in West Seneca N.Y.

Two Hilbert runs in the second and pair in the third inning put D'Youville in an early 4-0 hole. That would be all Hilbert hitters would get off the D'Youville pitching from that point. D'Youville starter Dan Fox (Cheektowaga, NY/Maryvale) held the Hawks scoreless over the next four innings and held off Hilbert as they threatened in the seventh.

Hilbert had runners on first and second and one out. Second baseman Jeff Spors (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) turned a double play that ended on a scoop in the dirt from first baseman Mike Calandra (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South).

Fox would turn the game over to Calandra who would throw two scoreless frames to get his first win as a Spartan.

Calandra would also go 3-4 at the plate. After doubling to open the fourth he scored the team's first run on a Jordan Ianarelli (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) double. Ianarelli would cap the Spartan's three-run rally in the fifth with a game-tying sacrifice fly.

In the last Spartan at-bat in the ninth, Spors would single to start the inning, advance to second on a Matt Veronica (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East) sacrifice and end up on third after a Wendling ground out. An intentional walk issued to Eric Simoncelli (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg) set the stage for Kerr to blast a fastball with the count 1-2 over the right field fence.

Kerr entered the game in the fourth inning and would finish 3-3 with four RBI. Spors would go 3-5 and score two runs.

The win ended the team's 19-game losing streak and sent the Spartans home happy for the first time since April 2 at Houghton.

"We did a great job grinding this one out," said D'Youville Head coach Leo Dandes. "We stayed patient and waited for our chances and this time we capitalized on them."

Game one was all Hilbert. The Hawks sent ten men to the plate in the sixth and scored six runs. Hilbert tacked on four in the seventh and the final score was 14-1.

Calandra and Simoncelli were each 2-3 and Kerr was 1-3 with a double.

Before the start of today's two-game set, the team's three players playing in their final home date were honored: Mikiah Downing, Jackson Herlan, and Matt Veronica.

D'Youville will close the season with a doubleheader tomorrow (April 28) at Medaille College. Start time at McCarthy Park in Buffalo N.Y. is 1:00 p.m.