Strong pitching performances on the day from Michael Hutchins, Michael Watson, and David Zuhlsdorf were not enough as the St. Lawrence University baseball team got swept Saturday against the Hobart Statesmen in Canandaigua, N.Y.

The Saints to 6-13 on the year and 1-8 in league play. Hobart improves to 9-11 and an even 4-4 in the Liberty League.

Hutchins started game one and pitched five innings of two-run ball, striking out a career-high ten. Watson got the nod in game two, and pitched six innings, allowing one earned run. Zuhlsdorf came on in relief in the first game, pitching 3.1 shutout innings with no earned runs and five strikeouts.

Offensively, Matt Davis paved the way for the Saints, going 4-for-8 with a double and a run batted in on the day. Brett Federico was 3-for-8 with a double. John Donnellan and Sean Desjardins had run-scoring doubles on the day.
 

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Game 1: St. Lawrence 2, Hobart 3 (10 innings)

The Saints struck first in this game, as the Scarlet and Brown got on the board in the second. Desjardins reached on a two-base error by the first baseman, then Donnellan made them pay as he ripped a double to right field to give the Saints a 1-0 lead.

Hobart responded in the bottom of the second, as they evened the score at one apiece.  The Statesmen drew three walks and then scored the tying run off a wild pitch. Starting pitcher Hutchins was able to leave two runners stranded after striking out the next batter to give him four strikeouts in the first two innings.

The Statesmen added another run in the third off a walk, single, and a run-scoring fielder's choice groundout, giving the Statesmen their first lead of the game.

Hutchins came back strong in the fourth, adding three more strikeouts in the frame to put his total at eight. In the fifth, the junior hurler struck out two more with the bases loaded to help the Saints get out of a bases-loaded nobody-out scenario in the bottom of the fifth, to preserve the score.

After having a quiet couple of innings, the Saints scored the game-tying run in the top of the sixth. A walk by Timothy Connor followed by a single by Willie Landman, set up a plate appearance for first-year Davis. Davis, who got the start at second base, hit a slow-moving groundball to shortstop who promptly forced a throw to first, sailing over the head of the first baseman allowing a run to cross the plate, tying the game.

Both pitching staffs shined in the next three innings as the game headed into extra innings with the score knotted up at 2.

Zuhlsdorf entered the game in the bottom of the sixth in relief of Hutchins. The Canton native pitched the next three and a third innings, giving up no runs on three hits and striking out five to hold the Statesmen at two runs.

Desjardins had a one-out double in the top of the 10th, but the Saints were unable to take advantage after a flyout and groundout ended the inning.

The Saints suffered a heartbreaker, as the first Hobart batter of the bottom half of the 10th homered and the Saints suffered a 3-2 walk-off defeat.

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Game 2: St. Lawrence 2, Hobart 6

Both teams failed to score in the first three innings. The Saints got hits in all three of these innings, with a single from Connor in the first, a double from Davis in the second, and a single from Federico in the third, but were unable to get a run on the board.

Watson started strong for the Scarlet and Brown, giving up two hits in his first three innings and striking out two.

Hobart did, however, get on the board at the bottom of the fourth. After a walk, the Statesmen took advantage of a couple of throwing errors by the Saints, breaking the ice and scoring their first run of the game. Following this, the Statesmen got a sacrifice fly to double their lead to 2-0.

After the scoreless fifth on both sides, St. Lawrence tied the game in the sixth. Landman got hit, and then a Desjardins double allowed Landman to score from first. Desjardins later advanced to third base on a wild pitch, then a sacrifice fly by Davis plated the Saints' third baseman, as the game moved into the bottom of the sixth tied at 2.

The Statesmen got the lead right back though. A single, sac bunt, and another single plated a run for Hobart in the bottom of the sixth as they finished the inning leading St. Lawrence 3-2.

Watson finished the sixth and gave the Saints six strong innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, and striking out three on the night.

In the seventh, the Statesmen expanded on their lead further. A double, walk, and hit by pitch loaded the bases for Hobart with nobody out, then the Saints allowed a two-run single as the Statesmen added two insurance runs to make the game 5-2. Joshua Polumbo came into the game for the Saints after this and got straight three outs, two of which were strikeouts, to limit anything else.

Going into the ninth and the Saints now trailing 6-2, St. Lawrence was unable to get anything going, getting sent down 1-2-3 to end the day.

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Next Up: The Saints will return home to face the Skidmore Thoroughbreds (12-9, 5-1) in a doubleheader on Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for noon.