NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — D'Youville split Friday's ECC doubleheader with Queens College at Sal Maglie Stadium, falling 8-2 in the opener before responding with a 3-2 victory in game two behind a dominant outing from Jakob Denall to secure head coach Kyle McLain's 100th career win.
In game one, the Saints jumped out to an early lead but could not overcome control issues on the mound as Queens capitalized on 12 walks to pull away late for the 8-2 win.
Kevin Del Vecchio set the tone in the bottom of the first with a triple to right field and came around to score on an error. Billy Morris followed with aggressive baserunning, stealing home to give D'Youville a 2-0 advantage after one inning.
Morris was sharp early on the mound, striking out nine batters over 5 2/3 innings while allowing three earned runs on six hits. However, Queens began to chip away in the fourth inning and took control in the sixth, using timely hitting to take a 4-2 lead.
The Knights added to their advantage in the seventh and broke the game open in the eighth, taking advantage of multiple walks to plate three more runs. Garett Wilson led the Saints offensively with two hits, while Del Vecchio and Morris each recorded triples in the effort.
D'Youville bounced back in game two behind one of the most dominant pitching performances of the season from Jakob Denall.
Denall delivered a complete-game effort in the seven-inning contest, striking out 13 batters while allowing just two runs on five hits. He walked only one and threw 74 strikes in a commanding 111-pitch performance to earn his fourth win of the season.
The Saints opened the scoring in the second inning as Garett Wilson worked a walk and came around to score on a single by Michael Huff. After Queens tied the game in the third and briefly took a 2-1 lead on a solo home run in the fifth, D'Youville responded immediately.
Billy Morris singled in the fifth and later scored on a double from Colby Wilson to even the game at 2-2. In the sixth, Blaise Kolbert was hit by a pitch and eventually crossed the plate on a go-ahead single from Jake Hollins, giving the Saints a 3-2 lead.
Denall shut the door from there, striking out the side in the final frame to secure the win and the split for the Saints.
Morris and Colby Wilson each recorded two hits in game two, with Wilson adding a double and an RBI. Huff also contributed with an RBI single as part of the balanced offensive effort.
The four-game series against Queens College continues tomorrow, April 25th with first pitch scheduled for 5 P.M.
