BOURBONNAIS, Ill. --- With its 5-1 victory over Olivet Nazarene University in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon, the University of St. Francis baseball team claimed its second straight outright Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference title and earned the No. 1 seed in next week's CCAC Tournament. The Fighting Saints dropped the nightcap by an identical 5-1 count.
Ryan Daly continued his dominance on the mound with his ninth consecutive victory, falling one out short of his first shutout of the campaign.
After recording a double-digit hit total (ten) in Game 1, USF (24-18, 22-8 CCAC) was limited to just three singles in the second game.
Brayan Hidalgo was the only Saint to register hits in both contests, finishing with three.
Game 1: USF 5, Olivet Nazarene 1
Daly (9-1) allowed just three hits over the first 6 2/3 innings before yielding a solo home run with one out remaining in the contest to ruin his shutout bid. Up until that point, only two Olivet Nazarene players had gotten as far as second base. He finished the game with six strikeouts, while not allowing a walk.
The Saints got more than enough runs for Daly in the second inning alone when they scored four times. Four straight hits after an error to open the inning fueled the rally as did another ONU error.
Cliff Vickers and
Dan Gusel had run-producing hits in the inning, with
Josh Kirnbauer driving in another run on a groundout. Two innings later,
Kirnbauer had his second RBI on a fielder's choice.
Hidalgo and
Jake Merda each had two hits for USF.
Game 2: Olivet Nazarene 5, USF 1
ONU's Jorden Rhoden had a no-hitter going two outs into the seventh inning before Hidalgo broke it up with a single through the left side of the infield. Up until that point, the only two St. Francis runners to reach base came on walks in the second and sixth innings.
Rhoden (5-2) would go on to post the complete-game victory, allowing just three hits and three walks, while striking out two batters.
USF's only other hits came off its bench with pinch hits from both
Malachi Riley and
Will Calcaterra, the latter driving in the Saints' only run in the eighth inning.
Olivet Nazarene (21-26, 18-12) held a 5-0 lead after four innings highlighted by a three-run third inning.
Notes: Drew Dant is the only man left standing after he and teammate
John McGuire waged a personal battle for the most consecutive games reaching base. Dant extended his streak to 29 games by getting on base in each of USF's two contests on Thursday. McGuire reached 25 games with his single in the opener before going 0-for-2 in Game 2 … Olivet Nazarene came into the first game averaging a league-leading 7.9 runs per game before Daly nearly pitched the shutout … For the second time this week, USF's conference-leading offense (.332 average) was held to just three hits in Game 2. The same result occurred in the first game of a doubleheader with Indiana University South Bend on Tuesday … The Saints wrap up the regular season on Saturday with a 1 pm doubleheader against Olivet Nazarene at Duly Health & Care Field. It is also designated as Senior Day.
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