Playing its first Liberty League doubleheader of the 2016 season, the St. Lawrence baseball team split with Vassar on Friday in Fort Myers, Fla; dropping the first game 5-1 before rebounding for an impressive 11-3 win in game two.

First-year Taylor Digilio led the Saints with two hits in the morning game, but it was junior Devin Robson who drove in the team's only run in the loss with an RBI double down the left field line that brought classmate Mic Regan around to score for a 1-0 St. Lawrence lead in the top of the first inning.

That lead would hold until a Vassar put together a five-run fourth inning on three hits and one Saints error to push to the eventual 5-1 margin for the win.

After starting pitcher Dan Hedden issued a pair of walks to put two men on, Denis Shanager started the two-out rally for Vassar with a two-RBI double down the left field line that gave his team a 2-1 lead.

Brooks English followed with an RBI single to left to make it 3-1 and moved into scoring position on a fielding error by left fielder Michael LeFevre.

Hedden intentionally walked the next batter, Nick Johnson, before he was relieved by Matt Phelan on the mound. The Saints senior allowed two hits, walked eight and gave up five earned runs while recording five strikeouts in three and two-thirds innings of work.

For Phelan, he allowed just one hit in two and a third – a two-RBI single to Cory Wuenschell that brought the runs four and five home for the Brewers; both runners were Hedden's responsibility. Phelan also recorded three strikeouts.

On the mound for Vassar, Johnny Mrlik allowed six hits in the complete-game win with one earned run and two strikeouts.

In the second game, the Saints finished with 15 hits, including three doubles, a triple by Mic Regan and senior Kyle MacDonald's first career home run en route to an 11-3 win. The Scarlet and Brown scored three runs in the third and then again in the sixth and seventh before tacking on two more in the eighth for an 11-2 lead over the Brewers.
Vassar added a run in the bottom half of the frame, but was shut down by Saints starter Samuel Downes and reliever Will Fellows.

Downes went seven and two-thirds allowing just four hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts. Fellows did not allow a hit in relief for St. Lawrence.

On the offensive side, St. Lawrence's first three-run spurt came with two outs in the third inning when Isaac Lewis and Mic Regan got on base with back-to-back singles before junior Adam Reichel hit a double to center for a pair of RBIs; scoring them both. Robson followed with a double of his own to bring Reichel around to score and make it 3-0 St. Lawrence.

Vassar added a run in the bottom half of the frame and another in the fifth, but could never fully close the gap before the Saints extended it yet again with another three-run inning.

In the sixth with Michael LeFevre on second after a double to center and two outs, Jake Levin hit an RBI single down the left field line and after Lewis earned a walk, Regan followed with a triple to center that drove in two more runs for the Saints to increase their lead to 6-2.

The next inning, Robson won the battle in an eight pitch at-bat and earned a walk before advancing all the way to third on a throwing error by Vassar pitcher Joe Conti on a failed pickoff attempt at first base. With Robson now in scoring position, first-year Evan Reichel sent an RBI into center field and then was pinch run for by Tom Sullivan.

With the St. Lawrence lead already at 7-2, MacDonald stepped to the plated and jacked a two-run shot over the left field fence for the first of his career to extend the lead to 9-2.

In the eighth, Adam Reichel was hit by a pitch, Sullivan singled to left field and MacDonald was also hit by a pitch to load the bases. LeFevre earned a four-pitch RBI walk for the Saints 10^th run, and Digilio was hit by a pitch in the next at bat to plate the 11^th.

An RBI single for Wuenschell in the bottom of the inning plated Vassar's third and final run of the day, as the Brewers stranded three in the eighth and two more in the ninth.
Lewis, Regan, Robson and LeFevre each put up multi-hit performances for St. Lawrence in the win, with Regan leading the way with three. He, Adam Reichel and MacDonald also led the team with two RBIs each.

The Saints, now 2-7 on the season, will face Vassar (4-7) again tomorrow for another doubleheader in Florida before returning to Canton.