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Box Score 2
LOCKPORT, N.Y. - The D'Youville baseball team took care of business in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon, taking two games from Lincoln, 6-2 and 7-6, with the second coming on a walk-off sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore Mateo Santos where freshman Andrew Gerber snuck his hand under the tag at home plate to secure D'Youville's 12th win of the season. The 12-16 Saints, who have won five of their last six games, improve their program record for wins in a single season and climb to 6-8 in East Coast Conference play.
The Saints found themselves staring at a 2-0 deficit before taking the plate for the first time in the bottom of the first inning as Lincoln plated a pair in the top half of the frame.
After freshman Craig Oliver scored D'Youville's first run of the game in the bottom of the second on a throwing error via the Lion second baseman, senior George Farid erased the deficit with a two-run double down the right-field line to give the Saints a 3-2 lead.
Santos added RBIs in the sixth and eighth innings with a sacrifice fly and an RBI double that tight-roped the left-field line. Sophomore Alex Dzimian pushed across another insurance run for the Saints in the eighth inning with an RBI single to left field.
Freshman Rob Stephans (W, 3-4) picked up his third win of the season with four strikeouts in his 6.0-inning start. Junior Kyle Blunt (2.0 innings) and freshman Samuel Worthen (1.0 inning) each pitched in relief of Stephens.
Santos (1-for-2, 2B, 2RBI) and Farid (1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBIs) led the Saints at the plate in the opener.
The Lions (5-31, 1-14 ECC) took the first lead once again in the top of the first inning on an RBI single.
Sophomore Jeremy Glinski wasted no time in tying things up when he found the gap in right-center for an RBI triple in the home half of the first.
Santos tallied his third RBI of the day with a single to right field in the second inning that drove in Oliver to claim a one-run lead at 2-1.
With the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Dzimian singled to center and when the Lion's centerfielder misplayed the ball, all three runners on base were able to advance home. Back-to-back doubles from Farid and sophomore Ethan Hammond later in the fourth pushed D'Youville's lead up to four runs at 5-1.
A four-run sixth inning tied the game and another run for the Lions in the top of the seventh forced the Saints to bat in the bottom of the inning in the seven-inning game.
Freshman Chris Stefan got the go-ahead run on base, reaching on a hit-by-pitch with one out and Gerber would take his spot at first base as a pinch-runner. On the next at-bat, Oliver hit a pop fly into the swirling wind that eventually dropped for a base hit. On the play, an obstruction call was ruled on the Lincoln first baseman when Oliver rounded first base, allowing Gerber to advance to third and Oliver to second. This set the stage for Santos who placed a fly ball into right field and after it was caught, Gerber tagged up from third base and beat the tag at home plate to win the game.
Freshman Harrison Lough got the starting nod in game two and fanned a career-high seven batters in his 5.2 innings on the mound. Senior Noah Welch (W, 1-1) earned his first win in D'Youville colors and struck out three batters in his 1.1 innings of relief pitching.
Dzimian's three-for-four game with a pair of RBIs paced the Saints at the plate in the series sweeping victory … Hammond (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) and Oliver (2-for-3, 2R) also hit safely multiple times for the Saints.
The Saints round out their home schedule with a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 26 when they host Mansfield at Lockport High School. Game times are scheduled for 1 and 4 p.m.
