Seniors John Gannon and John Donnellan plated three runs between the two of them, but a five-run second inning from Bates helped propel them to a 12-3 win over the St. Lawrence University baseball team on Friday afternoon on the campus of the University of Delaware in Newark, Del.

Gannon finished the day 2-for-5 with a single, a double, and two RBI, while Donnellan went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Mike Siano had a strong day from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with a run and a walk.

St. Lawrence fell to 0-1 with the result, while Bates improved to 1-0.

The Saints, playing as the road team in the neutral-site matchup, got hits from Siano in the top of the first and Ethan Harris in the top of the second, but they were unable to generate any more hits to spark the offense.

After a quiet bottom of the first, the Bobcat bats came to life in the second, hanging a crooked number on the board. A walk, followed by a hit by pitch, and a bunt single loaded the bases for Bates with no outs. The Bobcats scored on a fielder's choice and a passed ball to go up 2-0, then a pair of singles later in the inning made it a 5-0 game.

The bats for both teams went quietly for a few innings as the pitchers settled into the ballgame.

The Bobcats put up four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to go up 9-0. A one-out double from Bates' Brady Thompson broke things open, and his teammates followed up with three consecutive singles and a double to plate four runs in total.

St. Lawrence got themselves going a bit at the top of the seventh when Gannon singled his way aboard to lead things off. Donnellan followed suit with a single, and Willi Landman walked in the fifth spot to load the bases with no outs. A fly ball out to centerfield turned into a double play when Gannon was thrown out at the plate. A strikeout for the Saints in the next at-bat quelled the chance.

After Bates made it an 11-0 game in the bottom half of the seventh, the Scarlet and Brown finally hit the scoreboard at the top of the eighth inning.

Nolan Widrick led off the inning, reaching on an error in the outfield, and made it all the way to second with his speed. A pair of singles from Siano and Eddie Morrissey set the table for Gannon, who smashed a double down the left field line, putting two Saints across home plate. Next up was Donnellan, who reached first on an error by the third baseman, allowing Morrissey to score and make it 11-3.

The Bobcats added a 12^th run in the bottom of the eighth, and St. Lawrence threatened again in the top of the ninth, but they stranded two runners on base as the game went final.

David Zuhlsdorf got the start on the hill for the Saints and pitched 1.2 innings before Michael Flyzik came in for 3.1 innings, giving up just two hits, no runs, and striking out three. Will Nardella, Brendan Young, and Owen Gray each pitched an inning after Flyzik to finish off the contest. Gray, who pitched the final inning of work, fanned two Bobcat batters in limited action.

St. Lawrence and Bates will line up on the diamond again tomorrow at the University of Delaware, playing in a twin bill that will begin at 10 a.m.