ABERDEEN, MD — D'Youville baseball split a hard-fought doubleheader with Southern New Hampshire University on Sunday, dropping a 10-inning heartbreaker before responding with a gritty one-run victory to close the day.
The opener was an offensive back-and-forth battle that saw multiple lead changes before Southern New Hampshire walked off with a 9-8 victory in extra innings.
The Penmen jumped out to a 4-0 lead through two innings, capitalizing on a sacrifice fly, hit-by-pitch, double, and aggressive baserunning. D'Youville chipped away in the fifth when Jacob Cooper singled and later scored on an RBI base hit by Billy Morris. Colby Wilson followed with a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 4-3.
The Saints seized momentum in the seventh. Jake Ferris sparked the rally with a double and later scored on a single by Cooper Cefaratti. Additional runs from Blaise Kolbert and Morris pushed D'Youville ahead 6-4. Ferris finished with two hits, a double, two stolen bases, and two runs scored.
After trading runs late, the Penmen tied the game in the ninth with an RBI triple to make it 8-8. In the 10th, Southern New Hampshire plated the winning run on a bases-loaded walk to seal the 9-8 decision.
On the mound, J. Denall delivered a strong six-inning start, allowing four earned runs on just one hit while striking out six. Eric Osterstrom added two innings of relief, fanning two.
The Saints answered in game two, grinding out a 5-4 victory behind clutch hitting and lockdown relief pitching.
Southern New Hampshire again struck first with two runs in the opening frame, but D'Youville responded in the second. Wilson doubled to left and later scored before Cooper swiped home to even the score at 2-2. Cooper was a catalyst throughout, scoring twice, driving in two, and stealing two bases.
After both teams exchanged runs to knot the game at 4-4, the Saints broke through in the ninth. Ferris singled and advanced to third on a base hit by Jake Hollins before Cooper drew a walk that forced in the go-ahead run.
Ryan McCarthy provided a steady seven-inning effort, allowing four runs (three earned) while allowing eight hits. Mihir Manerikar tossed a clean eighth to earn the win, and Greg Orcutt closed the door with a shutdown ninth inning to secure the save.
Defensively, Morris anchored the infield with five assists at shortstop, highlighting a strong overall weekend in the field.
D'Youville moves to 4-4 on the season after the split, demonstrating their depth over two days of competitive doubleheaders. The Saints combined for 13 runs across the two contests on Sunday and received key contributions up and down the lineup, positioning themselves well as they continue their early-season slate.
Next up for DYU, they'll head to Rutherford, NJ for a doubleheader with Felician University on Friday, March 6th.
