POMONA, N.Y. — D'Youville dropped both games of an East Coast Conference doubleheader against St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday at Clover Stadium, as the Spartans claimed game one 14-5 and took the second game 26-9.
In the opener, D'Youville battled back early after falling behind 2-0 in the second inning. The Saints responded with a three-run third inning to take the lead. Hudson White reached on a walk and Kevin Del Vecchio followed with a single before Jake Hollins drew a walk to load the bases. Blaise Kolbert then delivered a two-RBI single to score White and Del Vecchio, and Hollins later crossed the plate to give D'Youville a 3-2 advantage.
St. Thomas Aquinas regained the lead in the fifth, but the Saints answered once again. Billy Morris drove in two runs with a single to tie the game at 5-5 and cap another productive inning for the D'Youville offense. St. Thomas Aquinas rallied for two runs in the sixth and seventh innings, before adding five more in the eighth to secure the 14-5 victory.
Morris finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Kolbert also drove in two runs. Del Vecchio scored twice and recorded a hit, and Hollins added a double and scored two runs. Colby Wilson contributed two RBIs in the opening contest.
Jakob Denall delivered a solid outing on the mound for the Saints, pitching five innings while allowing just three hits and striking out five.
In game two, D'Youville produced its biggest offensive inning of the day with a seven-run fourth inning to briefly take control of the game. Hollins reached to start the inning and Billy Morris followed with a single, setting up Kolbert to drive in a run with a single of his own. Jacob Cooper added another RBI single, Derek Onevelo drew a bases-loaded walk, and Cooper Cefaratti capped the rally with a grand slam to right field that gave the Saints a 7-5 lead.
Cefaratti's grand slam highlighted the offensive performance, while Kolbert collected three hits and drove in a run. Hollins added a solo home run toright field in the sixth and scored twice.
St. Thomas Aquinas regained control of the game with a 17-run fifth inning to pull away, eventually securing the 26-9 win.
D'Youville will look to regroup as the Saints continue East Coast Conference play with a doubleheader at Molloy on March 20th.
