JOLIET, Ill. --- Jake Merda's two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning proved to be the game-winner as the University of St. Francis baseball team opened its 2024 campaign with a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over neighboring rival Lewis University on Wednesday afternoon at Duly Health and Care Field.

Merda came on to catch one inning earlier and hit the first pitch he saw in his first at-bat of the season back up the middle to drive in Brayan Hidalgo and Jake Klepacz.  Hidalgo singled for his second hit of the game to start the one-out rally before Klepacz made his first plate appearance as a Saint a memorable one. 

Like Merda, Klepacz came in one inning earlier to play left field and authored a double down the right field line to put runners on second and third base.  One out later, Merda delivered his first collegiate game-winning hit.

Another double down the right field line earlier in the game started USF's scoring on the day.  Alex Martinez registered the first RBI of the season with his hit driving in Josh Kirnbauer (hit by pitch) in the second inning.  Three batters later, Alex Mielcarz coaxed a bases-loaded walk to make it a 2-0 game before Lewis (1-3) got out of the one-out jam with a double play.

One-half inning later, the Flyers tied the contest up at two-all on a trio of hits and added three more unearned runs one inning later after the Saints went back up 3-2 on a Hidalgo sacrifice fly.

USF made it a one-run game in the fifth inning when Cliff Vickers notched his first RBI as a Saint with his two-out single in the fifth inning.  Two innings earlier, he set up Hidalgo's sacrifice fly with a single.  The pair accounted for the St. Francis multi-hit games.

Eight USF pitchers combined on the victory with Sean Michalak being the only one to go two innings.  Quinn McGuire, who gained the win, was one of six pitchers to toss a scoreless inning.  The eight hurlers allowed just two earned runs on the afternoon.

Drew Dant, another new Saint, recorded the save by working the ninth inning.  He was aided by a key double play by the M's, Martinez to Mielcarz to Nate Maliska.  Mielcarz also had two clutch running catches out in right field, the latter of which thwarted a Lewis rally with runners on second and third base in the seventh inning.



Notes: Joining Vickers, Klepacz and Dant in making their debuts wearing the brown & gold was Luke Guenther, who threw a scoreless sixth inning … McGuire is starting right where he left off.  He tied for second-place on the team last year with four wins on the mound … Game-time temperature for the season opener was 63 degrees … The Saints head to Tennessee this weekend for a four-game set against NAIA No. 25-ranked Freed-Hardeman University.    

Links to live coverage can be found at gofightingsaints.com/coverage. You can also keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on Twitter @USFSaints.