Anthony Butler and Nicholas Butler helped the Saints come back to earn a 5-4 walk-off win in the opening game of a Liberty League doubleheader with Skidmore on Sunday afternoon on Tom Fay Field in Canton. Skidmore earned a one-run win of its own, 3-2, in game two en route to the split.  

Rookie Cristian Forgione led the Saints with a combined 4-for-7 at the plate with two multi-hit games, three RBI and a run scored, as well as the only extra-base hits of the day with a home run in game one and a double in game two.

Nicholas Butler and Taylor Digilio also recorded multi-hit games for St. Lawrence in the split.

Senior Alex Black picked up the complete game win in game one to improve to 3-3 and finished with a season-high nine strikeouts.

Patrick Greenan pitched well for the Saints in game two, allowing just two runs on seven hits, but took the loss as the Thoroughbreds were able to hold off another comeback by the Scarlet and Brown.

Game 1 – St. Lawrence 5, Skidmore 4 (8 inns.)
Anthony Butler drove in Nicholas Butler as the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single to right field to force extra innings. Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Nicholas's RBI single to left brought Brian Comerford in all the way from second base to give St. Lawrence the 5-4 walk-off win.

After Skidmore took a 2-0 lead with runs in both the first and second innings, including the first of two home runs on the day for Patrick Geiger, Forgione answered with a home run of his own down the right field line in the bottom of the second inning to tie the game at 2-2.

St. Lawrence took a 3-2 lead when Brian Comerford scored when the Thoroughbreds overthrew first trying to pick off Digilio in the bottom of the third.

But Skidmore came back and took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth inning on a passed ball and a rare error by senior catcher Anthony Butler. The ball didn't venture far from the plate, and Black covered for a throw in an attempt to tag Justin LaRose and keep it a 2-2 game, but the throw was high and went down the first base line, allowing both LaRose and Sean Lang to score to  help Skidmore regain its lead.

Butler made up for it, however, with a one-out single to right field in the bottom of the seventh that tied the game at 4-4.

Skidmore stranded the potential go-ahead run on second base in the top of the eighth, allowing St. Lawrence to put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the frame.

After Skidmore's Jay Gamboa retired Drew Courtwright and William Montgomery, Comerford singled up the middle and Digilio followed with a single to left to put two abroad for Nicholas Butler. Butler's line drive single to left brought Comerford in as the winning run.



Game 2 – Skidmore 3, St. Lawrence 2
The first four innings were scoreless in game two, however, first-year Andrew Circelli was robbed of putting the Saints in front 3-0 when Justin LaRose went up to grab a sure home run along the left field fence in the bottom of the first inning.

Skidmore got on the board in the fifth, first with Geiger's second home run of the day, again to left field, to make it 1-0 in favor of the visitors.

Later in the frame with two outs, Will Potter came in to score for the Thoroughbreds when Matt Chipkin was caught in a rundown trying to steal second, but managed to slide in under the tag to keep the inning alive.

In the sixth, with reliever Anthony Ferraro on the mound for the Saints, LaRose was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in Skidmore's third and final run of the day.

Forgione's RBI double down the right field line in the bottom of the frame brought Nicholas Butler in to score to cut the deficit to 3-1 and Diglio hit an RBI single through the left side to drive in Black in the bottom of the seventh to pull St. Lawrence within one, 3-2.

With runners on the corners, Skidmore brought in closer Christian Reenstierna, who struck out Andrew Circelli swinging to end the game.

Charlie Pacilio also pitched in game two for the Saints, allowing two hits in the seventh inning with one strikeout.

Records – St. Lawrence (7-23, 5-13 LL); Skidmore (17-12, 7-9 LL)
Up Next – vs. Skidmore on Monday, April 29 at 1 p.m. on Tom Fay Field