Fifth-year Michael Goretti went 4-for-5 with three runs and an RBI, and Caleb Clark and Jimmy Liberatore each drove in two runs, but a walk-off wild pitch would send the St. Lawrence University baseball team to a season-opening 8-7 loss to Colby on Saturday afternoon in Davenport, Florida.

The Saints fell to 0-1, while the Mules improved to 4-2.

"We fought well today," said head coach Kenny Collins "Unfortunately, Colby had the last momentum swing in a back and forth game. They are a tough team that will be competing for a NESCAC championship again this year. We need to keep learning from these late-inning pressure situations because it will prepare us for the rest of the season."

The Saints' offense picked right up where it left off last year as they jumped on the Mules in the top of the first. Goretti singled with one out in the half inning before Liberatore hit a towering two-out home run to take an early 2-0 lead. Timothy Connor would follow with a single and a stolen base, but the attack was stopped in the next at-bat.

Jack Sylvia started on the bump for the Scarlet and Brown and went one-two-three with a groundout and two flyouts to start his day. The hurler would retire the Colby batters in order once again in the bottom of the second with three groundouts.

St. Lawrence would get two more runs in the top half of the third as another Goretti single turned into a run as Clark brought him home with a one-out double. A Liberatore single would put runners at the corners, where Connor would provide an RBI groundout to third base to make the score 4-0.

The Mules got three of those runs back in the next half inning as Brady O'Brien would hit a three-run homer. Sylvia would bounce back in the bottom of the fourth striking out the side.

The top of the order got two more runs in the top of the fifth as a Goretti double and a Clark single would bring in Brett Federico and Goretti from the base paths. Sylvia continued to deal striking out two more in yet another one-two-three inning in the fifth.

In the top of the sixth, first-year catcher John Donnellan would earn his first career hit with a solo home run over the left field fence which extended the Saints lead to 7-3. Sylvia struck out his seventh batter of the day in the sixth inning as part of his fifth inning of retiring the Mules in order.

The senior would work his way into a no-out bases loaded jam in the seventh but would limit the damage to just one run as Colby scored on a sacrifice fly, then produced a groundout and a fly out to retire the side.

Colby brought the game to within one at 7-6 in the bottom of the eighth as O'Brien his a two-run home run that brought Brenden O'Neil into the game for St. Lawrence. The lefty forced a flyout and struck out the next two batters to end the threat.

In the bottom of the ninth, Colby loaded the bases off a single, walk, and hit by pitch. With the base paths full and one out, the Mules hit an RBI single to tie the game at 7-7. With Colby's Charlie Furlong at the dish, a wild pitch allowed a runner from third to score and end the game at 8-7.

Sylvia pitched seven innings in his first start of the season striking out seven, while giving up six hits and six runs. O'Neil pitched one and two-thirds innings giving up two hits and two runs in the loss.

The Scarlet and Brown will be back in action tomorrow in Davenport, Florida when the Saints take on the College at Old Westbury in a twin bill that begins at 1:45 p.m.