NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – The D'Youville University baseball team opened their conference schedule with a doubleheader sweep of St. Thomas Aquinas College on Friday afternoon.
 
D'Youville 4, St. Thomas Aquinas 3
 
Senior Chris Auclair (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) got the start on the mound in game one for the Saints. He worked around a base hit and a walk to keep the Spartans off the board in the first inning. He struck out two in the top of the second to retire the side in order. He punched out two more and recorded another one-two-three inning in the top of the third as the score remained 0-0.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas got to Auclair in the top of the fourth, though, as they took a 2-0 lead on three hits. In the bottom of the fourth, redshirt junior Jake Hollins (Orchard Park, N.Y.) led off the inning with a single and advanced to third on a base hit from senior Alec Boucher (Essex, Ontario). After junior Jonathan Simpson (Grand Island, N.Y.) walked to load the bases, junior Blaise Kolbert (Lancaster, N.Y.) brought in DYU's first run with a sacrifice fly to cut the Spartans' lead to 2-1.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas got that run back in the top of the fifth with two hits to make it 3-1. In the bottom of the fifth, redshirt sophomore Jacob Cooper (Erie, Pa.) drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on a single from sophomore Derek Onevelo (Buffalo, N.Y.) to draw within one run again. In the top of the sixth, the Spartans put runners on second and third with one out, but Auclair struck out the next two batters to keep the score at 3-2.
 
Junior Colby Wilson (Webster, N.Y.) led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, putting the tying-run ninety feet away for the Saints. Onevelo came through again with another RBI single to level the game at 3-3. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, junior Billy Morris (Lancaster, N.Y.) put DYU on top with a solo home run to make it 4-3.
 
Redshirt sophomore Connor Joedicke (Bloomville, N.Y.) tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth inning and struck out three to seal the game one win for the Saints. Auclair struck out a season-high ten batters and Onevelo recorded a multi-hit game and got on-base three times in the victory.
 
D'Youville 6, St. Thomas Aquinas 3
 
Morris started on the mound for DYU in game two and surrendered two runs in the top of the first to give St. Thomas Aquinas an early 2-0 lead. The score remained that way until the bottom of the fourth, when Simpson ripped an RBI double down the left field line to cut the deficit to 2-1. Morris mowed through the Spartans' lineup in the top of the fifth, striking out the side to keep the Saints within one.
 
After senior Dillon Crook (Liverpool, N.Y.) reached on an error to begin the bottom of the fifth, Wilson drove him in with a double to tie the game at 2-2. Onevelo followed with a double of his own to bring in the go-ahead run and make it 3-2 DYU. Morris reached on a fielder's choice to bring home Onevelo and extend the Saints' lead to 4-2.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas drew within one run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, Simpson and Crook both singled and moved into scoring position with one out. Redshirt freshman Lucas Penner (Leamington, Ontario) came through with his first career hit to bring in two insurance runs for DYU, extending their lead to 6-3. Morris allowed a leadoff hit in the top of the seventh, but retired the next three batters to secure the win for the Saints.
 
Morris recorded his second-straight complete game and Simpson and Onevelo both tallied multi-hit performances in game two.
 
D'Youville is now 6-19 on the year and 2-0 in ECC play. They will close out their series with St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 10:00 a.m.