Junior Sam Downes was stellar on the mound in the first game of a doubleheader split with Bard on Saturday afternoon to shut out the Raptors 2-0, but Bard responded with 10 runs in the second game to secure the split with a 10-3 win.The Saints are now 5-12 overall and 4-6 in the Liberty League, while Bard is 7-14 and 2-4 after the split.
Downes a complete-game two-hit shutout for St. Lawrence in the team's 2-0 win to help the Saints improve to 5-11 on the year. It was his second complete-game shutout in as many seasons, having shutout SUNY Canton in April last season.
At the plate, the Saints recorded eight hits with three coming from sophomore
Michael LeFevre, whose 3-for-3 performance and two-run homerun in the bottom of the fifth paced the team in the win.
With one out and one on in the fifth after
Isaac Lewis worked a walk, LeFevre pulled a shot down the left field line giving the Saints the only runs they would need to seal the win.
Downes (2-1) retired the Raptors in order in each of the next two innings to close it out for St. Lawrence.
In game two, Bard jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on with an RBI single up the middle with one out, but the Saints answered with a run of their own in the
bottom of the frame to pull even at 1-1.
With LeFevre at the plate and
Mic Regan and
Isaac Lewis aboard after back-to-back singles to lead off the inning, the Saints successfully executed a double steal, with Regan coming home to score the team's first run on a throwing error by Bard's catcher.
Bard would regain the lead with a pair of runs on a ground out and a single to the outfield in the third inning off starter
Emmett Dunn. Dunn went 5.0 innings for the Saints and allowed seven hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out two batters. He was relieved by senior
Frank Grady.
The Raptors another run in the top of the sixth inning to push their lead to four three, but the Saints responded with two of their own in the bottom of the frame.
Senior
Kyle MacDonald hit a two-out, two RBI double to right center to bring
Adam Reichel and
Michael LeFevre home to score and cut the deficit to one run at 4-3. However, Bard would rally in the eighth inning and add six more runs to push to the eventual 10-3 margin.
The Saints finished the game with five hits, while the Raptors finished with 15 hits in the win.
The two teams will square off again tomorrow at Bard for the final two games of the four-game set with game times scheduled for 12:00 and 3:00 p.m.
