CARY, N.C. – The D'Youville University baseball team picked up their first wins of the season with a doubleheader sweep over Pace University on Saturday.
 
D'Youville 7, Pace 0
 
After a scoreless first inning, the Saints drew first blood in the bottom of the second after junior Blaise Kolbert (Lancaster, N.Y.) doubled and redshirt sophomore Cooper Cefaratti (Williamsville, N.Y.) drove him in with a base hit to center. Senior Chris Auclair (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) worked around a walk and a single to keep Pace off the board through three innings. Auclair would not allow another base runner until the eighth inning.
 
Redshirt sophomore Jacob Cooper (Erie, Pa.) led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a single and senior Dillon Crook (Liverpool, N.Y.) moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Redshirt junior Jake Hollins (Orchard Park, N.Y.) drove in Cooper with a single to left center to make it 2-0 Saints.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Crook singled and sophomore Kevin Del Vecchio (Niagara Falls, Ontario) walked to put runners at first and second with one away. After advancing to second and third on a passed ball, Hollins came through again, ripping a single down the right field line to extend DYU's lead to 4-0.
 
After Cefaratti led off the bottom of the eighth with a single and moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch, Cooper laced a double down the left field line to bring in the Saints' fifth run of the game. Crook followed that up with a triple into the right center field gap to drive in Cooper and make it 6-0. Del Vecchio continued the onslaught with a single into right center to increase the lead to 7-0. Auclair closed out the Setters in the top of the ninth, securing the shutout and DYU's first win of the season.
 
Auclair's complete game shutout is the first of his career. He surrendered just two hits and two walks and struck out two. Hollins, Cefaratti, Cooper, Crook, and junior Billy Morris (Lancaster, N.Y.) all turned in multi-hit performances. Hollins tied a career-high with three runs batted in.
 
D'Youville 1, Pace 0
 
After both teams were retired in order in the first inning, DYU loaded the bases on singles from senior Alec Boucher (Essex, Ontario) and Cefaratti and a walk from Cooper with two outs, but they were unable to push any of them across. Freshman Ty Graczyk (Buffalo, N.Y.) was able to work around a hit and two walks in the bottom of the second to keep the contest scoreless.
 
In the top of the third, Crook led off with a single and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Del Vecchio. With two outs in the inning, Morris sent a base hit into left to bring home Crook and put the Saints in front 1-0. The Setters put two runners on again in the bottom half of the third, but Graczyk once again was able to get out of trouble and keep it 1-0. DYU looked to tack on another run in the top of the fourth after Kolbert singled to start the inning, but a double play erased the threat.
 
Graczyk kept Pace off the board through six, finishing his day with six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out three. Senior Bryce Hediger (Chaffee, N.Y.) shut the door on Pace in the seventh. After allowing a walk with one away, Hediger induced a ground ball double play to give the Saints the doubleheader sweep.
 
D'Youville is now 2-5 and will close out their trip to Cary on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. against the University of Wilmington (Del.).