JOLIET, Ill. --- The University of St. Francis baseball team's winning ways continued on Thursday afternoon with the Saints eking out a 3-2 Game 1 victory in nine innings before finding runs easy to come by in a 16-3 thumping of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Trinity International University in the nightcap at DuPage Medical Group Field. The two victories extended St. Francis' winning streak to nine games.
Getting on base was the easy part of the day for the Saints who did so 39 times between their 22 hits, 11 walks and being hit six times by pitches. Still, it wasn't until Josh Tesch's (GR/Lockport, Ill.) RBI single to center field in the ninth inning that put an end to Game 1 after USF left 11 runners on base.
In Game 2, the Saints took full advantage of Trinity International's pitching wildness with nine runs on just two hits over the first two innings.
Right fielder Travis Schoonover (GR/Braidwood, Ill.) and center fielder Luke Ketchum (GR/Springfield, Ill.) both collected a pair of hits in each end of the twinbill with Schoonover scoring four runs on the day – including the game-winner in the first contest – and Ketchum driving in a pair. Three of Schoonover's four hits went for doubles.
Game 1 --- USF 3, Trinity International 2
Tesch's game-winning hit to keep USF's win streak intact came after Schoonover opened with a one-out double followed by Noah Kararo (GR/Oswego, Ill.) (2-for-4) getting hit by a pitch. Prior to that, the Saints only had two hits total over their previous five innings after totaling seven hits over the first three innings, but only producing two runs.
Tesch and Schoonover also worked together to register the first run of the game with Schoonover's first-inning single and Tesch's sacrifice fly to drive him in.
Ryan Daly (FR/Plainfield, Ill.) drove in the other run with a single in the second inning following a Ketchum triple to put the Saints up 2-1.
Michael Beaudoin (SR/Sycamore, Ill.) recorded his best outing on the mound this season when he was put into emergency service after starter Colin Kelly (Tinley Park, Ill.) left the game with an injury. Beaudoin went 4 2/3 innings without allowing a run and giving up just two hits.
Sam Pileggi (FR/Plainfield, Ill.) (1-0) retired the final four batters of the game and the only four that he faced to record his first collegiate victory on the mound.
Game 2 --- USF 16, Trinity International 3
The Saints eliminated any thoughts of a second straight extra-inning game early by putting up six runs in the first inning and scoring in each of the next five frames, as well. The majority of the runs were aided by a worn-out Trinity International pitching staff, which walked eight and hit five batters.
USF also got hits from nine different players with Schoonover (2-for-3) and Ketchum (2-for-3) leading the way. The latter drove in two runs as did catcher Jake LaSota (JR/Marengo, Ill.).
Starter John McGuire (FR/New Lenox, Ill.) did not give up a run in his four innings of work to remain unbeaten on the mound (3-0).
After playing five games in the past three days, the Saints get a much-needed day off Friday. On Saturday (April 17), they open a three-game conference series with Roosevelt University beginning with a doubleheader at DuPage Medical Group Field at 1 pm.
