MYRTLE BEACH, SC (March 11, 2024) – The River Hawk baseball team were dealt a tough loss on Monday afternoon, seeing a late comeback from Mt. Aloysius College eventually yield a walk-off double for the Mounties in the bottom of the 10th inning, ending the game at 8-7.
Susquehanna got out to a hot start, ripping back-to-back extra base hits in their first two at-bats with a lead-off triple from Sean McCulloch followed by a double to right center by Tyler Hmielewski, scoring their first run before recording an out. They would score three in the frame after a Tony Rossi single brought home Hmielewski, before Michal Biuso hit a sacrifice fly to score Rossi. The top of the 3rd yielded two more runs, with errors, wild pitches, and another single from Rossi helping to score Hmielewski again, while Biuso once again brought Rossi home with a sacrifice fly.
Now holding a comfortable 5-0 lead after just three innings, Mt. Aloysius seized back some momentum in the bottom of the 3rd after a lead-off double was followed by a single that turned into two runs scored as the ball scooted through the center fielder's legs all the way to the wall. A solo shot for the Mounties in the bottom of the 4th cut the lead down to two and then scoring would go quiet for both teams in the 5th and 6th innings. Starter Aidan Martin did well to keep the Mounties in check for 6.0 innings of work, allowing just one earned run on five hits and striking out two batters.
That pitching performance gave Susquehanna the platform to restore their advantage in the top of the 7th, scoring a pair of runs to make the score 7-3. Hmielewski came up big again to start the inning with a single, then scoring his third run of the game as Rossi ripped a triple down the left field line. For the third time in the game, Rossi scored on a sacrifice fly, this off the bat of Dylan Heyduk. However, with Michael Biuso on first base and only one out, the potential big inning was stopped short by a double play groundout.
Unfortunately, the offense would run dry for the River Hawks from there, opening the door for a late comeback by the Mounties. A difficult bottom of the 8th inning saw the River Hawks commit two fielding errors while Mt. Aloysius tallied four hits and plated four runs to tie the game. SU would go down in order in the top of the 9th, then looking in danger in the bottom of the frame with two runners on for the Mounties and just one out. But Vincent Mariella would work out of the jam, inducing a pop out in foul territory and then striking out the clean-up hitter to send the game to extra innings.
A chance to score in the top of the 10th went by the wayside after two straight one-out walks and a stolen base gave SU runners on first and second but a flyout and fielder's choice ended the threat. The Mounties quickly put the pressure on with a lead-off walk, then stealing second base after a fly out by the second hitter. The game would end on a well-struck double that one-hopped into the wall in right center.
The top of the order was instrumental for the River Hawks on the day, with McCulloch, Hmielewski, and Rossi combining for seven of the team's eight hits in the game. Rossi and Hmielewski scored six of the team's seven runs, while Rossi stole a pair of bases and McCulloch added one, along with first-year Jackson Bower, who pinch-ran in the 9th.
Susquehanna will now get a day to rest and recalibrate prior to their final game of the Spring Break trip to Myrtle Beach. They'll wrap things up on Wednesday afternoon, facing off against McDaniel College at 12:30 pm.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
