JOLIET, Ill. ---- The University of St. Francis baseball team gained two all-important victories Saturday afternoon with six of its ten seniors that were honored in pre-game ceremonies delivering in the clutch in 8-7 and 11-6 wins over Judson University at DuPage Medical Group Field.
USF's two victories combined with Saint Xavier University's split of its doubleheader with Trinity Christian College locked up an invitation to the double-elimination portion of this coming week's Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. Had the Saints (21-18, 18-12 CCAC) lost either game or Saint Xavier swept on Saturday, head coach Brian Michalak's club would have had to win a play-in game on Tuesday to advance to Friday's CCAC Tournament.
That was nearly the case after a wild seventh inning in Game 1 on Saturday, where the Saints were cruising along until Judson's four-run uprising turned a 6-3 deficit into a 7-6 lead. USF, however, got a clutch two-out hit from catcher Jake LaSota (JR/Marengo, Ill.) to force extra innings before the Saints won it on a passed ball in the eighth inning.
In the nightcap, St. Francis spotted Judson (21-18, 20-10) a five-run lead after one half-inning only to answer with 11 runs of its own over the first four innings.
Shortstop Noah Kararo (GR/Oswego, Ill.) had the biggest day of all Saint batters, collecting five hits on the afternoon, including his first collegiate home run. He also scored four times.
Seniors Shawn Harper (Plainfield, lll.), Foster Heise (Lisle, Ill.), Joe McGuire (Lockport, Ill.), and Dolan Nicholson (Denton, Texas) all notched three hits on the day, while Travis Schoonover (Braidwood, Ill.) and Josh Tesch (Lockport, Ill.) added two each.
Also recognized on Senior Day were pitchers Michael Beaudoin (Sycamore, Ill.), Sean Herbert (Riverside, Ill.), and Jake Suchor (Lockport, Ill.) and student assistant Anthony Piegari (Chicago, Ill.).
Game 1 --- USF 8, Judson 7
McGuire (3-for-5) delivered a two-run home run in the first inning and Kararo (4-for-4) did the same as part of a four-run second inning to give the Saints a 6-1 lead after two innings. Center fielder Luke Ketchum (GR/Springfield, Ill.) also had an RBI single in the latter frame.
That score remained intact until the fifth inning when Judson picked up a pair of runs.
The Eagles then opened the crazy seventh inning with a home run. The Saints were able to get the next two batters out before two singles, a hit batsman and a three-run triple flipped the game around. Fortunately, reliever John McGuire (FR/New Lenox, Ill.) was able to come in to secure the third out of the inning and halt any further damage.
Joe McGuire started USF's must-have rally in the bottom half of the inning with a single before Scott Tumilty (FR/Villa Park, Ill.) came on to pinch run for him. Tumilty moved to second on a sacrifice before scoring on LaSota's single to right field to force extra innings. For LaSota, it capped off a perfect 3-for-3 game for him.
St. Francis had to escape another tense situation in the eighth inning when Judson again loaded the bases with only one out. Colin Kelly (Tinley Park, Ill.), however, saved the day by rolling a double play against the only batter he faced.
He eventually gained the win – his first decision of the year – after Kararo (one-out walk) scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the inning. Tesch moved Kararo into scoring position with a single before the latter went to third on a fielder's choice.
Game 2 --- USF 11, Judson 6
Four St. Francis players drove in at least a pair of runs in Game 2 as the Saints worked to overcome a 5-0 first inning deficit. Schoonover started the uphill climb with a home run to open the bottom of the first inning with Joe McGuire adding a sacrifice fly to bring home the second run following a Judson error.
Another Eagle error to start the second inning sparked a four-run third inning before the Saints plated five more runs in the fourth inning. Heise (3-for-4, 2 runs), Nicholson (2-for2) and LaSota all drove in runs in each of those innings with Heise bringing home two runs in the third and one in the fourth with back-to-back doubles. LaSota had his RBIs on a groundout in the third inning and a single in the fourth. Nicholson used a single and a sacrifice fly to plate his two runs.
Ketchum also had a two-run triple in the fourth inning to finish the doubleheader with three runs batted in.
Harper (2-for-4) was one of three Saints to produce multiple hits in Game 2.
The run support was more than enough to aid starting pitcher Nick Villasenor (SR/Addison, Ill.) (4-3), who settled down after a shaky first inning. He allowed only one other run in his 5 1/3 innings of work before giving way to Nick Clemmons (SR/Channahon, Ill.) and John McGuire to record the final five outs.
St. Francis closes out the regular season on Tuesday night at 6 pm after adding one final home date with Lewis University at DuPage Medical Group Field.
The Saints start CCAC Tournament action on Friday at 10 am.
