The Hilbert Baseball team is on a tear as they improved to 11-8 after splitting the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference doubleheader against Pitt-Bradford at Veterans Park this afternoon.

The Hawks rallied in the top of the 7th for a 5-4 win in Game 1 and slipped in a 12-7 nightcap loss to the Panthers, their first loss in seven games.

Jack Duffek’s 2RBI double lifted the Hawks to the win while Brennen Hediger improved to 3-1 and Brendan Walsh picked up his fourth save this season in G1.

Game 1:

• Pitt-Bradford built a 4-0 lead after scoring an unearned run in the bottom of the 2nd prior to tacking on three runs off one long hit over the center field fence in the 3rd inning.
• Hilbert sliced the difference to one in the 5th. Thomas Evans plated Alex Ellison with a double down the left field line, Benjamin Ratajczak singled  and Jack Duffek hit a sac fly to score Evans for the second run.  Ratajczak made it home off Derek Martinez’ at bat to set the 3-4 score.
• Hediger continued to limit the Panthers at the plate through the next two innings which gave Hilbert a chance to jump ahead.
• Ellison singled, Ratajczak walked, and, with two outs, Duffek’s double to center scored two, lifting Hilbert to a 5-4 lead in the top of the 7th.
• Brendan Walsh took the mound and faced three batters, striking out one for his fourth save this season. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

Hediger held the Panthers to six hits, four earned runs, no walks and struck out four in six solid innings of work. 

Jack Duffek had the big bat, picking up 3RBIs off two hits and Alex Ellison scored one run off two hits.  Thomas Evans (2-for-4), Benjamin Ratajczak (2 R) and pinch runner Frank McCabe scored the other four runs in game 1.

Game 2:

• Hilbert manufactured runs in the first three innings, building a 5-2 lead by the top of the 4th but the Panthers exploded for  six runs in the 4th inning to pull away in the night cap.
• Patrick Whelan’s double down the right field line score lead-off batter Thomas Evans prior to Jairo Santos scoring off a wild pitch in the 2nd; and, with bases loaded, Ellison’s 2RBI single set the table for Evans to knocked in Griffin McAndrews who earned a base on balls in the 3rd.
• Bradford found home twice in the bottom of the 3rd off three hits and then held the Hawks in check in the rest of the 9-inning game.
• With bases loaded after a change on the mound in the bottom of the 4th, Hilbert threw the third baserunner out at home after the first two counted.  Bradford then hit an RBI single in advance of a triple down the right field line and a 2RBI double to set the 8-5 margin.
• Bradford tacked one more run in the 5th and added three more in the 8th, but the Hawks didn’t quit.
• Santos singled and was credited with the game’s first stolen base.  He scored off Martinez’ fielder choice at bat which then led to a second run in the 9th off Patrick Whelan’s double. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

Jairo Santos led with three hits and two runs scored and Alex Ellison and Patrick Whelan each recorded two runs batted in while finishing with two hits.

Michael Contini (1-3) allowed four hits, three runs while striking out two through 3.1 innings.

Up Next:

Hilbert is set to host their first home DH of the season this Wednesday when they welcome SUNY Poly to a 1:00 pm non-conference contest at the FSSJ Complex | Baseball diamond.

Editor’s Note: This story was shared with The Scribe by the Hilbert Athletics Department.