DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. — D'Youville baseball split its East Coast Conference opening doubleheader with Mercy University on Friday, winning game one 8-4 before dropping game two by a score of 6-5.
The Saints totaled 21 hits across the two games with several strong performances at the plate.
In the opener, the Saints used extra-base hitting to take control early. Blaise Kolbert, Jacob Cooper, Michael Huff II, and Kevin Del Vecchio each delivered timely hits in a three-run second inning, with Huff and Del Vecchio recording RBI doubles to give D'Youville a 3-1 lead.
The Saints added two more runs in the third when Billy Morris scored and Cooper drove in two with a single to extend the lead to 5-1. Jake Hollins later doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Colby Wilson before D'Youville added two insurance runs in the ninth on Kolbert's two-RBI double.
Morris led the Saints with three hits and two runs scored while also earning his 18th career win on the mound, tossing 6.1 innings and three strikeouts. Kolbert, Huff, and Cooper each finished with two hits, while Mihir Manerikar secured the save with 2.2 scoreless innings and three strikeouts.
Game two featured another close contest as the Saints were edged 6-5 despite a strong day from Jake Hollins, who drove in four runs and collected two hits, including a double. Billy Morris tallied two singles, including his 200th career hit on a one-bagger to left field.
Hollins delivered a two-RBI single in the third inning to score Jake Ferris and Derek Onevelo, tying the game at 2-2. In the fifth, Hollins again came through with a two-RBI double to score Onevelo and Ferris, giving the Saints a 4-2 lead.
Mercy answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning before D'Youville tied the game again in the seventh when Hollins scored on an RBI single from Kolbert. Mercy responded with the go-ahead run on a single in the bottom of the seventh to secure the 6-5 win.
Ferris scored twice and stole two bases, while Onevelo also scored two runs and reached base twice. Ty Graczyk started for the Saints and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out two.
Up next for the Saints, they'll continue conference play as they travel to St. Thomas Aquinas College for a doubleheader with the Spartans scheduled for tomorrow (March 14th) at noon.
