CRESTWOOD, Ill. --- For the second day in a row, the University of St. Francis baseball team and Roosevelt University split their doubleheader with each team rallying late for their respective victories to finish the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference series with two wins each. The Fighting Saints came back from a 4-1 deficit in Game 1 to win 7-5, while Roosevelt trailed 4-2 in the eighth inning of the second game before responding with a 6-5 walk-off victory.
Ryan Daly (6-1) won his sixth straight decision on the mound for USF in the opener, while
Max Montgomery,
Drew Dant,
John McGuire and
Josh Kirnbauer each collected three hits over the two games.
The split decision enabled St. Francis (12-14, 10-4 CCAC) to maintain a one-game lead in the league standings on both Saint Xavier University and Olivet Nazarene University with the halfway point of the conference season approaching.
Game 1: USF 7, Roosevelt 5
Wildness was the story early on with the Saints tying the contest at 1-1 in the third inning via two hit batsmen, a walk and a passed ball. USF, however, returned the favors one half-inning later when the Lakers took advantage of four walks to score three runs and go up 4-1.
St. Francis started its rally with three hits among its first four batters in the fourth inning, the last of which was a two-run single up the middle by
Jake Merda to make it a 4-3 game. Merda also had a big hit two innings later in a two-run sixth inning.
Cliff Vickers started the latter rally with his solo home run to start the frame. Merda followed with a single before pinch runner
Malachi Riley set up
Alex Martinez's RBI single with a steal of second base.
After Roosevelt (15-12, 6-6) forced the third tie of the game at five-all in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Saints got a clutch walk and an errant throw on a fielder's choice to set up their game-winning seventh inning.
Jake Klepacz had the leadoff walk and came around to score on the error and McGuire provided the insurance run with a single to center field.
Daly came on to record his second victory of the season in relief, working the final 4 2/3 innings and allowing just one run. He struck out four, including the final batter of the contest.
Martinez, Dant, McGuire and Merda all had two hits as part of an 11-hit attack for the Saints.
Game 2: Roosevelt 6, USF 5
The Saints appeared to be on their way to the second-day sweep leading 4-2 with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning only to have Roosevelt score three times, including two on bases-loaded hit batsmen and twice on unearned runs, to take a 5-4 advantage.
USF was able to tie the contest in the top of the ninth inning with a two-out triple from Hidalgo to score
Nate Maliska (single), but the Lakers put together three straight singles to open the bottom half of the inning to win the game.
Up until the last two innings where seven runs were plated, the contest was a low-scoring affair with Roosevelt holding a 2-0 lead after five innings. Hidalgo made it a 2-1 game with the first of his two RBIs in the contest on a double in the sixth inning. The Saints then tied it up on a Maliska RBI groundout in the seventh inning.
A two-out double by Dant, followed by a triple from McGuire gave USF the lead in the eighth inning with McGuire making it a 4-2 advantage when he scored on a wild pitch.
Kirnbauer had his second three-hit game of the season, with Montgomery and Hidalgo each posting two hits.
Notes: Daly is off to the best start of his career. Coming into the season, he was 8-6 for his three-year career … With his multi-RBI contest in Game 2, Hidalgo has tied Dant for the team lead in that category with seven such contests each … Four Saints have current double-figure streaks of reaching base with Dant (13 games) leading the way. Vickers and Montgomery are one behind with McGuire extending his streak to ten games on Saturday … Dant's streak has tied Martinez for the highest mark this season. He also boasts a club-high 13-game hitting streak … Both teams left ten runners on base in Game 2 … USF's two triples in the second game were a team season high … The Saints have a makeup date on Monday when they travel to Clinton, Iowa to take on St. Ambrose University in a doubleheader beginning at 1 pm.
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