Joliet, Ill. – Senior infielder Patrick Hayes (Chicago, Ill./Moraine Valley/Parkland/Brother Rice) collected four RBI while finishing 4-for-6 with a walk and a stolen base as the Saint Xavier University baseball team (9-14/1-1 CCAC) started the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) portion of their schedule with a doubleheader split with University of St. Francis (Ill.), winning game one 3-2 on a walk-off RBI single by junior catcher Evan Orzech (Shorewood, Ill./Crossroads Christian Academy), but losing in the second game by a score of 10-5 with Hayes posting three RBI in the setback. The games were played at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet, Ill. even though SXU was the home team, as Richard R. Ferrell Field was unplayable due to wet conditions.

Game One:

• Hayes had a hit in two at-bats with an RBI.
• Junior outfielder Daniel Barrios (Manteno, Ill./Manteno) hit a home run and went 1-for-3.
• Orzech was 1-for-4 with the game-winning hit and senior infielder Declan Smyth (Evergreen Park, Ill./North Central/Evergreen Park) also went 1-for-4 and scored the winning run.
• Sophomore outfielder Kevin Dowling (Chicago, Ill./Murray State/Mount Carmel) was 2-for-4
• Sophomore pitcher Nico Saldias (Ajax, Ontario/Connors State/Pickering) made his seventh start of the season, logging 6.0 innings with just four hits, two runs (one earned), a walk and a season-high tying eight strikeouts.
• Junior pitcher Tzu-Chun Yen (Kaohsiung, Taiwan/Ohlone/Meiho) recorded his first win as a Cougar (1-0) giving up just one hit and leaving the go-ahead run stranded at second base to end the top of the 7^th.
• Barrios led off the bottom of the 3^rd with his team-leading fifth home run of the season over the wall in right field.
• USF tied the game in the top of the 4^th with an RBI double.
• Hayes put SXU back on top, 2-1, in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single.
• An error allowed an unearned run to score in the top of the 5^th to even the game at 2-2.
• After two quick outs, Smyth started the two-out rally with a base hit to center, Dowling followed with a single to left field and Orzech sliced the first pitch he saw to left to score Smyth from second base for walk-off win.

Game Two:

• Hayes went 3-for-4 with three RBI.
• Senior infielder Joe Rycerz (Schererville, Ind./Andrean) was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk.
• Orzech scored twice in four at-bats with a double and a walk.
• Smyth was 1-for-4 with an RBI double, a run and a walk.
• Sophomore pitcher Tommy Dougherty (Alsip, Ill./South Suburban/Shepard) made the start and posted 3.0 innings with eight hits, seven runs and four strikeouts in the defeat (3-2).
• Junior pitcher Max Smyth (Tinley Park, Ill./Illinois Central/Andrew) worked 0.2 innings, allowing two hits, one run, a walk and had a strikeout.
• Junior pitcher Caleb Ziehr (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) worked 2.1 innings out of the bullpen and gave up two hits, a run and a walk.
• Yen surrendered two hits, a walk and had two strikeouts in an inning of work.
• Junior pitcher Brendan Gill (Evergreen Park, Ill./Moraine Valley/Mount Carmel) saw 0.2 innings on the mound with two hits a, a run, a walk and a strikeout.
• Sophomore pitcher Noah Scott (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) pitched 1.1 innings of relief with a walk and a strikeout.
• The Fighting Saints struck first with a two-run single in the top of the 1^st and went up 7-0 in the top of the 3^rd after an RBI double, an RBI single and an error that allowed a run to score and a two-run home run. A hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded pushed their lead to 8-0 in the top of the 4^th.
• Hayes poked an RBI single to left field to get Saint Xavier on the board in the bottom of the 4^th.
• Declan Smyth lined an RBI double to the gap in left center, Rycerz drew a bases loaded walk and Hayes laced a two-run single to left center to cut the deficit to 8-5 in the bottom of the 5^th.
• St. Francis hit a home run in the top of the 6^th and capped the scoring with an RBI single in the top of the 8^th.

Saint Xavier (9-14/1-1 CCAC) is scheduled to host Indiana University South Bend at Ferrell Field on Friday, March 17. First pitch for the game is slated for 3:00 pm.