Hawks Take Down #19 La Roche 11-9 in Night Cap

Recap, photo courtesy of Hilbert

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - After a quick change in game date and site location was determined, the Hilbert Hawks traveled down to #19 La Roche College this morning in order to play preseason favorites in an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference baseball double header.

The Hawks battled hard in the opening game before they suffered a 5-2 seven-inning defeat.  But Hilbert rebounded in the nightcap as they grabbed an 11-9 victory and the program's first victory against a ranked team. 

Treyton delaCuesta went 3-for-5, scored two runs with 2RBI while Connor Duck knocked in four runs going 2-for 5 in the win. 

Mathew Sokolski (2) led four other Hawks who combined for six stolen bases in the night cap.

Henry Bowers earned his first win of the season and Derek Switzer picked up the save going 3.1 innings of work.

GAME ONE:

Hilbert held the Redhawks to their lowest offensive output (in head-to-head competition) since the 2012 season, when the Hawks defeated La Roche 3-1 on April 7.

Today, Hilbert knotted the game at 1-1 in the top of the 3rd after the hosts scored the game's first run in the bottom of the 1st.

Ian Moran's sac fly knocked in Tristan Aldinger who tripled on his first at bat.

Then with bases loaded in the 5th, Eric Flores' RBI single scored Mathew Sokolski who led off the inning with a hit and sliced the difference to two runs (4-2). 

La Roche tacked one more run on the scoreboard in the sixth to close the game's scoring.

The Hawks earned three hits off a hot pitcher who struck out 12 batters.

Winfred Nelson (1-2) struck four out, walked a pair while giving up 10 hits and five earned runs in defeat.

GAME TWO:

The Hawks found themselves in a 4-0 hole early in the game.

Treyton delaCuesta started the 3rd off with a triple to right field.  Ian Moran took a base-on-balls and then immediately stole second.  Connor Duck mirrored delaCuesta's bomb to the outfield and scored two runs as the fourth batter of the inning.

Winfred Nelson's hit knocked in Duck and he made it back home after a bases loaded walk evened the score at 4-4.

delaCuesta worked his way back to the plate in the same inning and delivered a 2 RBI single which scored Mathew Sokolski and Jared Welnowski pushing Hilbert on top 6-4.

The Hawks got out a tight situation by turning a double play with a man in scoring position in the third inning to preserv their lead heading to the 4th.

Eric Flores doubled and scored off Tristan Aldinger's single just before Duck, who reached first off an error, scored off another error, extending Hilbert's lead to four runs.

The Hawks continued to manufacture runs in the 4th even with two outs.  Ryan Samuels' hit-by-pitch and Moran's single combined with Flores taking a ball to the body loaded the bases.  Duck's 2RBI single stretched Hilbert's lead 10-4.

For the second consecutive inning, Henry Bowers faced only three batters in the 5th which kept the Hawks momentum going.

The Redhawks converted a pair of walks into two runs in the sixth which narrowed the gap again but Hilbert added another run when delaCuesta scored on a short stop error with Flores taking first base.

La Roche closed the game with five hits and scored three runs in the 7th and 8th innings but were shut down in the 9th with three straight outs thanks to the Hawks tough defensive coverage in the field.

Bowers struck three out, walked six, gave up six earned runs off five hits in 5.2 innings for the win.  Switzer closed the game with a save striking one out in 3.1 innings.

The Hawks (5-11 overall) evened their league record at 2-2 today.  They will travel to Penn State Behrend Monday, April 9th to play today's snow out in Erie and then will host Pitt-Bradford April 11 at Niagara University.