LA CROSSE, Wis. -- A first-game win in an extra inning affair enabled the University of St. Francis baseball team to gain a split for the second day in a row against Viterbo University (Wis.) before the V-Hawks outlasted the Fighting Saints 5-3 in Game 2 of its Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on Sunday at the Viterbo University Athletics Complex in La Crosse, Wis.  St. Francis muscled its way to a 5-2 win in the opener.

USF's first-game victory enabled the Saints to lock up their berth as the sixth and final seed into this coming week's CCAC Tournament.  St. Francis (21-29, 17-15 CCAC) finished the regular season tied with Olivet Nazarene University in 17 wins and 15 losses in league play, however the Saints owned the tiebreaker over the Tigers by previously winning three games to one in the four-game series with ONU in March.

Six different Saints registered multi-hit games led by catcher Jake Merda, who went 3-for-5 with two RBIs in Game 2.  Drew Dant went 3-for-7 on the afternoon, while Brayan Hidalgo led all hitters with three total RBIs.

Game 1:  USF 5, Viterbo 2 -- 9 innings
The Saints went right to work, getting on the scoreboard in the opening inning with the aid of three consecutive two-out base hits, capped off with a RBI double from Hidalgo to score Cliff Vickers.  The V-Hawks (24-23, 19-13) would quickly knot the score, however, in their first at-bats in similar fashion one half inning later, matching USF's three hits to mark the score at 1-1.

A fielder's choice in the fourth inning would push USF back in front 2-1, but Viterbo would not go down quietly bringing home the game-tying run in the sixth frame via a dramatic one-out home run over the rightfield wall.

In the ninth, St. Franis took advantage of a costly V-Hawk error to plate three runs in the frame.  With runners on first and second and one-out, a fielding error would load the bases and allow for Vickers to get the job done by driving home the game-winning run with a fielder's choice to shortstop.  Merda immediately followed with a single in the next at bat to tack on two insurance runs and mark the score at 5-2.

Starting pitcher Anthony Panzella authored a solid performance on the mound, scattering six hits over 7 and 1/3 innings of work.  Zac Blazekovich (4-0) was equally as effective for the Saints in relief, yielding no hits while striking out two batters in his 1 and 2/3 innings in gaining his fourth victory of the year.

Game 1:  USF 5, Viterbo 2
St. Francis had its chances in Game 2, but could not come up with the big hit when they needed it to spark a multiple run inning in its 5-3 loss.  The Saints finished the contest out-hitting the V-Hawks 9-8, but left nine runners on base compared to just four from the hosts in the seven inning affair.

Maliska and Thomas each delivered two hits in three at bats with both men driving in one apiece.  Maliska's run in the first inning and Thomas' RBI single in the second opened the scoring with a 2-1 lead for the Saints.

The V-Hawks made it a 4-2 game in the fourth with his two-run home run in the fourth inning, before adding a single run in the fifth to push their advantage to three runs.  Maliska would chip away at the Saints' deficit by driving in one run on his second hit of the game in the sixth inning, but that would end the Saints' scoring finalizing the score at 5-3.

Starting pitcher Frank Curbis (1-4) was charged with the loss.

Up Next
St. Francis is off for the next three days before competing in the CCAC Tournament next Wednesday through Saturday (April 30-May 3) at Slammers Stadium.

You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.