EAST STROUDSBURG, PA. – The D'Youville University baseball team dropped the final two games of their four-game set against East Stroudsburg on Monday.
 
East Stroudsburg 5, D'Youville 4
 
The Saints threatened to score in the top of the first inning after redshirt junior Jake Hollins (Orchard Park, N.Y.) singled and senior Alec Boucher (Essex, Ontario) doubled to put runners at second and third with one out. However, a pop out could not advance the runners and Hollins was thrown out at home trying to score on a wild pitch to end the inning. East Stroudsburg got on the board in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single off DYU's freshman starter Ty Graczyk (Buffalo, N.Y.). Redshirt sophomore Michael Huff II (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) threw out two runners on the base paths to prevent any further scoring in the inning.
 
In the top of the third, after the first two Saints were retired, Hollins and junior Billy Morris (Lancaster, N.Y.) knocked back-to-back singles and Boucher walked to load the bases. Junior Garett Wilson (Webster, N.Y.) then drew a walk to bring in DYU's first run and tie the game. Junior Jonathan Simpson (Grand Island, N.Y.) followed with a base hit up the middle to bring in two more runs and put the Saints in front 3-1.
 
DYU looked to tack on to their lead in the top of the fourth after junior Kevin Del Vecchio (Niagara Falls, Ontario) drew a leadoff walk and Hollins singled to put a runner in scoring position with one away. However, Morris grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Warriors tagged Graczyk for a home run, double, and RBI single to tie the game at 3-3 and chase Graczyk from the game.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, redshirt sophomore Connor Joedicke (Bloomville, N.Y.) surrendered an RBI double and an RBI single to give East Stroudsburg a 5-3 lead. The Saints responded with a run in the top of the sixth after Huff II walked to leadoff the inning and Del Vecchio drove him in with a double to cut the deficit to 5-4. Joedicke retired the Warriors one-two-three in the bottom half to keep DYU within one heading into the final frame. Simpson drew a walk with two outs to keep the Saints alive, but junior Blaise Kolbert (Lancaster, N.Y.) grounded out to end the game.
 
In his first collegiate start, Graczyk tossed 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out three. Hollins went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot and Boucher went 2-for-3 with a walk. Wilson and Del Vecchio each picked up their first RBI in their DYU careers.
 
East Stroudsburg 12, D'Youville 1
 
Morris got the start on the mound for the Saints in game two and set the Warriors down in order in the bottom of the first. DYU had runners on in the first and the second but were unable to score. Morris worked around a hit batsman and a walk in the second to retire the side without allowing a run. Two walks to leadoff the third inning spelled trouble, though, and a double put the Warriors in front 2-0. Another double and two singles extended East Stroudsburg's lead to 4-0.
 
Senior Zach Penner (Leamington, Ontario) replaced Morris in the fourth inning, but three hits and an error pushed across three more runs for the Warriors to make it 7-0. A leadoff walk and a hit by pitch in the fifth chased Penner from the game and freshman Jakob Denall (Clarence, N.Y.) came in to make his first collegiate appearance. East Stroudsburg greeted him with three singles and a double to increase their lead to 12-0.
 
In the top of the seventh, Kolbert blasted his first home run of the season to get the Saints on the board. Senior Connor Bowman (Orchard Park, N.Y.) posted two shutout innings for DYU, allowing just one hit and striking out one. Senior Bryce Hediger (Chaffee, N.Y.) also did not allow a run and struck out a better in one inning of work.
 
D'Youville drops to 0-4 to begin the year and will travel down south to Cary, North Carolina for three games with Pace University and one game with the University of Wilmington (Del.) beginning on Friday.