03/12/07

The Saints battled back for a 5-4 win in game one of a scheduled doubleheader on Monday against Manhattanville (N.Y.) College in Fort Pierce, Fla., behind a walk-off double from catcher Mike Lewis in the bottom of the final inning.

The win puts the Saints’ season mark at 3-3 while Manhattanville drops to 1-2.

St. Scholastica scored four unearned runs on two key Valiants errors in the bottom of the fourth that tied the game at 4-4 before the late game heroics.

Steve Kraushaar led off the Saints half of what would be the final inning with a double. With no outs and the winning run standing only 180 feet from home plate, Manhattanville intentionally walked Keith Ritsche to set up a double-play opportunity. Lewis ruined that chance with his double that scored Kraushaar to give the Saints the victory, their 51^st last at-bat victory and 110^th comeback win since 1995.

Mark Moriarty came on in relief for starter Mark Erickson to begin the seventh inning and earned the win after hurling only nine pitches, allowing just one hit while picking up a strikeout.

Erickson was strong in six innings of work for the Saints surrendering four runs, two unearned, with three strikeouts through six innings.

Kraushaar scored one other run for the Saints and Sean Claugherty picked up an RBI in the four-run fourth.