BABSON PARK, Fla. --- The University of St. Francis baseball team's bid to claim its first upset of the season came up one run short as the Fighting Saints rallied but just not enough in a 10-9 setback to NAIA No. 14-ranked Bellevue University (Neb.) on Thursday.

USF (5-14) used a season-high four home runs and seven extra-base hits among its 13 total in producing its largest run count in the past 12 games.  In four of their nine innings, the Saints came up with multiple runs four times to nearly wipe out 7-2 and 9-3 deficits.

Eric Maffie led the home-run barrage with a pair with Luke Ketchum and Josh Kirnbauer delivering the other two.  Ketchum also had a double as part of his 2-for-2 day.

Maffie finished the game driving in four runs, while Jake Vera brought home another two as part of his 2-for-4 effort. 

Brayan Hidalgo led the Saints with three hits in five trips to the plate.

Kanta Kobayashi and Brendan Luther combined to go 8-for-10 with five runs scored at the top of Bellevue's lineup.

The Bruins (10-4) opened up a 7-2 advantage after the first two innings.  A solo home run from Ketchum in the third inning and Maffie's two-run home run in the fifth inning made it a 9-5 game after five innings.

After Bellevue scored its final run in the sixth inning, the Saints put two more runs on the board, including one on Maffie's second home run, in the seventh inning.  Another two runs followed in the eighth inning on Vera's double to make it a 10-9 game.

USF then coaxed two walks among its first three batters to open the ninth inning, but a strikeout and a flyout put an end to the Saints' comeback bid.

Notes: Coming into the season, Maffie had six home runs in his three-year career with five coming one year ago.  On Thursday, he hit his sixth and seventh through the first 19 games of the 2023 campaign … Maffie also took over sole possession of the top spot on the team in multi-RBI contests with his fourth such game … USF's four home runs were a season high, while its 13 hits were its third-highest mark of the campaign … Nate Maliska extended his hitting streak to six games with his seventh-inning single.  He is batting .333 during the streak … The Saints play their sixth ranked foe of the seven-game trip when they take on No. 1 Southeastern University (Fla.) for the second time on Friday at 11 am.

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