The Hilbert Baseball team went 1-1 against SUNY Poly in a non-conference doubleheader series off campus.

The Hawks gave up eight runs in the 3rd inning of the early game (17-6)  before getting into a pitcher’s duel in the night cap.  Patrick Whelan recorded the walkoff hit in the bottom of the 7th giving the Hawks the 4-3 win at the NY Stingers Baseball Field.

Thomas Evans hit a three-run homerun in the opening game and now leads the Hawks with five on the season.  Patrick Whelan notched his third of the season in game 2 before earning his first walk-off hit of the season.

Evans needs just two more homeruns this season to establish a new single season record while he moved to 5th place in the Hilbert career record book.  Whelan is chasing Evans as he moved to No. 6 in both career and single season rankings.

Game 1:

• The Wildcats scored a pair off two doubles in the top of the 1st while Hilbert responded with two tallies in the bottom half.  Patrick Whelan’s double plated Jairo Santos and Jack Duffek’s at bat pushed home Thomas Evans.
• Poly tacked on nine runs over the next two innings which built an 11-3 margin.  Evan’s, who started from second off a double, scored the third Hilbert run in the bottom of the third.
• Ronald Mort held the Wildcats in check in the fourth which gave Hilbert a fighting chance for a rally. With two outs, Alex Ellison and Santos earned a spot on base and Evans then homered to centerfield slicing the margin (11-6).
• SUNY Poly closed the final three innings with five hits adding six more runs to their total while limiting Hilbert to no hits.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Thomas Evans scored three runs and finished with 3RBI off three hits.  Patrick Whelan (D) and Jairo Santos each added two hits with Santos scoring twice.

Zackory Panfil (1-2) took the loss after giving up seven hits, with seven runs.  Ronald Mort (2.1 IP) struck out two with six hits and Matthew Whelan tossed the final two innings striking out two with one walk.

Game 2:

• Hilbert held on 1-0 lead through three innings before the Wildcats knotted the game in the top of the 4th.
• Evans walked to first, stole second and Jack Duffek’s single gave the Hawks the early lead.
• Hilbert turned a double play to get out of the second inning and Josh McTigue stayed tough in the third keeping the guests off the scoreboard.
• SUNY Poly earned an RBI single in the fourth and held the Hawks hit-less to set the 1-1 score.
• After a Wildcat poked a double, he was thrown out at home on the next at bat as the Hawks persevered on defense with a thrown down from Alex Ellison to Griffin McAndrews.
• Patrick Whelan matched Evans with a long ball over centerfield and lifted the Hawks in the bottom of the 5th.
• Griffin McAndrews doubled, then advanced on a wild pitch and was knocked in by Ben Chowaniec’s single to in the 6th.
• The Wildcats roared back to knot the game at 3-all in the top of the 7th before the Patrick Whelan’s long single to center field allowed Santos to sprint home for the win.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Patrick Whelan earned the walk-off winning hit, after going 3-for-3 with a home run and 2RBIs and Jack Duffek earned two hits with 1RBI.

Josh McTigue earned his second win of the season after limiting the Wildcats to two hits, no runs and one strike out through three innings.

Up Next:

Hilbert (12-9) have already announced their next game against Pitt-Greensburg will be played Sunday, April 2 at John P. Bobo Field on the campus of Niagara University.  The AMCC doubleheader will begin at 11:00 am.

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