JOLIET, Ill. --- The University of St. Francis baseball team opened defense of its Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title by earning a split decision with rival Saint Xavier University on Tuesday afternoon at Duly Health & Care Field.  The Fighting Saints used a big five-run fourth inning to win Game 1 by a 9-4 count, while the Cougars put up 19 hits to claim the nightcap, 16-1.

Jake Klepacz (2-for-4) drove in a pair of runs on the day as did John McGuire, who tripled and homered for his two hits.  Alex Martinez joined the pair in registering at least one hit in each contest.  He reached base five times on the day with three hits and two walks.

Ryan Daly (2-1) picked up his second win in a row, working the first six innings of the opener.

Game 1: USF 9, Saint Xavier 4
Retired in order in each of their first three innings, the Saints (3-10, 1-1 CCAC) busted out in the fourth when they batted around and scored five times with three of their four hits in the inning going for extra bases.  Nate Maliska and Cliff Vickers both had RBI doubles, which were sandwiched around a run-scoring single off the bat of Klepacz. 

McGuire capped the inning with his triple to drive home the fifth run.

Klepacz added a sacrifice fly in a two-run fifth inning to make it a 7-2 St. Francis lead.  Brant Singler then answered Saint Xavier's two-run sixth inning with a two-run, pinch-hit single up the middle in the bottom half of the frame to complete the scoring.

Vickers led USF's offense with two hits in three at-bats.  He also scored a pair of runs.

Daly struck out five batters, while allowing seven hits with only two of the four runs he allowed being earned.  Zac Blazekovich worked a scoreless seventh inning.

Game 2: Saint Xavier 16, USF 1
Saint Xavier (8-11, 1-1) took control early, putting up eight runs in the first two innings and scoring in all but one of its frames.  Of the Cougars' 19 hits, 11 went for extra bases, including five home runs.  Troy Stukenber went 3-for-4 with two home runs and a triple and drove in five runs for the guests.

USF's only run came on McGuire's second home run of the season.  The Saints' other three hits came from Martinez (two hits) and Klepacz (one).

Notes: USF's nine runs in the first game were a season high … Drew Dant, who came into the doubleheader having reached base in each of the team's first 11 games, saw that team-high streak come to an end in Game 1 on Tuesday … Josh Kirnbauer's nine-game streak was also snapped in Game 2 … St. Francis' longest on-base streak now belongs to Martinez at eight games … Up next for the Saints is a four-game weekend set with St. Ambrose University beginning with a 1 pm doubleheader in Davenport, Iowa on Friday.             

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