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Saints baseball suffers one-run loss to Saint Michael's despite early lead

Posted 3/23/19

A seven-run second inning gave the St. Lawrence University baseball team a 7-1 lead early, but Saint Michael's managed to come all the way back and upset the Saints 10-9 on Friday morning in Fort …

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Saints baseball suffers one-run loss to Saint Michael's despite early lead

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A seven-run second inning gave the St. Lawrence University baseball team a 7-1 lead early, but Saint Michael's managed to come all the way back and upset the Saints 10-9 on Friday morning in Fort Myers, Florida.

Senior Taylor Digilio led the Saints with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, with two RBI and two runs scored, while Nicholas Butler was the only other Saint with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-5. He and Evan O'Keeffe both also drove in a pair of runs.

Starting pitcher Caleb Clarke struck out a season-high seven in 6.1 innings pitched and allowed six runs on eight hits. Reliever Cameron Morrisey, who was the winning pitcher earlier this week against the Purple Knights, took the loss on Friday, giving up four runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning.

After Saint Michael's took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, the Saints scored seven runs on six hits in the top of the second to take a 7-1 lead.

First-year Andrew Circelli led off the inning with a double and came in to tie the game in the Saints' next at-bat, which was an RBI single from Joe DeGuardia. St. Lawrence then took a 2-1 lead as another RBI single, this time from Jake Delaney, brought DeGuardia in to score.

Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and one out, Digilio drilled a two-run double to right center and then he and Brian Comerford scored on a another two-run double from Nicholas Butler to push the St. Lawrence lead to 6-1.

Butler, who had advanced to third on a throw to the plate, scored the Saints seventh and final run of the inning on an sacrifice fly to right field by O'Keeffe.

The Saints lead held until the bottom of the seventh inning, though Saint Michael's did chip away with two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to make it 7-4 St. Lawrence heading into the bottom three innings.

The Purple Knights scored six runs on six hits to pull in front for good, 10-7. Five of their six runs in the inning came with two outs, with the help of two singles and two doubles.

Charlie Pacilio came in to pitch in the bottom of the eighth for St. Lawrence and did not allow a hit, striking out two in one inning of work.

In their last at bats in the top of the ninth, the Saints pulled within one with a pair of unearned runs from Cristian Forgione and Digilio, but left Nicholas Butler stranded on first base as the potential tying run.

Saint Michael's Dante Moran threw a complete game in the win, and finished with nine strikeouts. He retired the Saints in order in four of the final seven innings and allowed just three hits after the second.

The Purple Knights also had six extra-base hits in the comeback win on Friday, including a home run from Lenin Gomez.

Records – St. Lawrence (1-6), Saint Michael's (3-4)

Up Next – vs. Johns Hopkins on Saturday, March 23 at 9 a.m. in Fort Myers, Florida