The St. Lawrence baseball class of 2019 picked up the first win in a Liberty League opener of their careers on Saturday afternoon, as the Saints edged Union 4-3 in the first game of a conference doubleheader at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam, New York.
Union rallied in the eighth inning of the nightcap, with the help of some untimely errors by the Saints, for a one-run win of its own, 7-6, to earn a split.
Senior Alex Black led the way in the win with a complete game to improve to 1-1 on the year, allowing three runs on just four hits with four strikeouts.
Rookie Nicholas Butler led the Saints with a 4-for-7 day at the plate, including two runs scored.
He and classmate Cristian Forgione had multi-hit games in the opener, while Butler, brother Anthony Butler, Andrew Circelli and Joe DeGuardia each finished with a pair of hits in the second game. Circelli and Taylor Digilio had a team-high two RBI in the nightcap.
Game 1: St. Lawrence 4, Union 3
The Saints snapped a 2-2 tie with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning and Union left the potential game-winning run stranded on second base to help the Saints hang on for the 4-3 win.
Nicholas Butler and Forgione led St. Lawrence going 2-for-4, while Evan O'Keeffe, William Montgomery and DeGuardia each finished with an RBI
Nicholas Butler scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch as a result of a walk issued to his brother, Anthony Butler, in the seventh inning.
The Saints jumped out to a 2-0 lead with one-run innings in both the second and fourth.
Montgomery drove in Circelli for the first run of the game on an RBI fielder's choice, and DeGuardia extended the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single up the middle that brought Forgione in to score.
Union manufactured two runs on three hits, including a double and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2.
But St. Lawrence responded in the top of the seventh with two runs on just one hit, with the help of a leadoff walk to Brian Comerford. Comerford scored the go-ahead run on an RBI groundout by O'Keeffe before Butler came in on the wild pitch to extend the lead to 4-2 at the time.
Game 2: Union 7, St. Lawrence 6
Union got on the board first in game two, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third, but the Saints responded with a run of their own in the fourth and the teams traded runs for each of the next two innings.
Starter Caleb Clarke went 5.2 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and had to potential for the win when he left in the sixth inning with a 6-4 lead. Anthony Ferraro came on in relief and threw 2.1, taking the loss after allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits. He also struck out three.
Union's pitching staff combined to strike out 11 Saints in game two, with reliever and winning pitcher Chris Murdock recording four Ks.
Murdock shut down the Saints over the final 3.2 innings, allowing just one hit.
St. Lawrence built its biggest lead of the game in the sixth inning, scoring three runs on five hits to break a 3-3 tie and pull in front 6-3.
With runners on second and third and one out, Digilio hit a two-run single to center to bring in DeGuardia and Comerford for a 5-3 game.
Later in the inning, Anthony Butler worked a bases loaded walk to bring Digilio in as the Saints final run of the game.
Union the worked out of trouble with two quick outs to end the inning, as the Saints left the bases loaded.
Back-to-back singles for the Dutchmen put them in front for good in the eighth. The Saints made an error handling the first, allowing the Union runner to advance to third, setting up the game-winning RBI for the Dutchmen on the next.
Records: St. Lawrence (2-8, 1-1 LL); Union (3-7; 1-1 LL).
