LATROBE, Pa. (April 17) -- The Thiel College Baseball team dropped both halves of a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader against Saint Vincent College from Bearcat Ballfield Friday.
The Tomcats dip to 7-25 (3-13) while the Bearcats rise to 11-19 (7-9) with a four-plus hour marathon 14-inning 12-11 win in game one and a darkness-shortneded 14-4 (5.2 Inn.) victory in game two.
Game 1 -- Thiel 11, Saint Vincent 12 (14 Inn.)
Thiel plated 2 in the first and 4 in the fourth as
Zach Smith (Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville) logged a RBI single and
Calvin Cackowski (Wickliffe, Ohio/Wickliffe) raked a 3-run shot to left center to make it 6-0. Saint Vincent answered with 2 in the fifth before Cackowski launched his second dinger of the game, a 2-run shot, to make it 8-2.
Smith finished 5-for-8 as he set a new Thiel record for at bats (eight). His five hist are tied for third-most in a game in team history while his 4 runs scored tie the program record. He added a RBI as well.
Cackowski ran his league-leading home run tally to 12, which is tied for second-most in a season in team history and is tied for sixth-most in DIII on the year. He drove in a career-most 5 runs and scored 3 times.
The Cats tacked on insurance runs in the eighth at
Kolten Kruszewski (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) had a sacrifice fly and
Colton Brightwell (Eighty Four, Pa./Bentworth) lined a RBI single to make it 10-5. The home side plated 1 in the eighth and 4 in the ninth to force extras.
Kruszewski finished with a pair of hits and RBIs each while Brightwell had three hits and a RBI.Â
Neither side scored until the 14th when
Joey Schimizzi (Willowick, Ohio/Willoughby South) logged a RBI single to make it 11-10. Saint Vincent went on to plate 2 in the bottom of the frame for the win.
Schimizzi had three hits and two RBIs. Cole Sheerwin finished with three hits and runs each while
JT Gerle (Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge) had a pair of hits.Â
Brady Rzodkiewicz (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) started for Thiel and worked six innings of 3-run ball with four strikeouts for a no decision.
David Medich (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) logged four four innings of scoreless relief with a career-most six strikeouts in relief.
Dennis Fedele (Hermitage, Pa./Hickory) was tagged with the loss, falling to 3-5.
Game 2 -- Thiel 4, Saint Vincent 14 (Game called after 5.2 innings due to darkness)
The Cats manufactured a pair of runs with a walk and a hit by pitch to tie things at 2 in the second before the home side plated 4 runs across the next three frames to lead 9-2. Schimizzi had a 2-run single in the sixth to make it 9-4 before the home side put 5 on the board in the sixth as the game was called to darkness.
Schimizzi finished with a hit and two RBIs while Sherwin and Cackowski each had a RBI. Kruszewski smacked a pair of hits.Â
Looking Ahead
Thiel is back in action next Wednesday for a twinbill at home against Westminster beginning at 1 p.m.
