Joliet, Ill. – Freshman infielder
Noah Dreier (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield Central) homered in both games of the doubleheader and freshman designated hitter
Troy Stukenberg (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) homered twice in game two to help Saint Xavier University baseball (8-11/1-1 CCAC) earn a split with University of St. Francis (Ill.) to begin Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play Tuesday afternoon at Duly Health Field in Joliet, Ill. Fifth-year senior catcher
Evan Orzech (Shorewood, Ill./Crossroads Christian Academy) also hit a home run in a 9-4 loss in game one. Stukenberg paced the offense with two home runs and a triple in a 16-run outburst as the Cougars tallied 11 extra-base hits and 19 overall, both season-highs, in a 16-1 win in seven innings in game two.
Game One:
- Dreier was 3-for-3 along with a double.
- Freshman infielder John Simecek (Twinsburg, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) had two hits in three at-bats with a double.
- Stukenberg finished 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored and Orzech was 1-for-4.
- Junior pitcher Nico Saldias (Ajax, Ontario/Connors State/Pickering) pitched 4.0 innings and took the loss (1-2) after allowing four hits, five runs (all earned), two walks and striking out five batters.
- Sophomore pitcher Heath Mann (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) finished the game by throwing 2.0 innings of relief with four hits given up, four run (two earned), a walk and two strikeouts.
- Dreier clubbed his first collegiate home run to center field to give SXU a 1-0 lead in the top of the 3rd.
- Orzech pulled a solo home run down the right field line to extend the lead to 2-0 in the top of the 4th.
- The Fighting Saints rallied for five runs in the bottom of the 4th on two RBI doubles, an RBI single, a passed ball and an RBI triple.
- USF added two runs in the bottom of the 5th on another passed ball and a sacrifice fly.
- Junior infielder Konner Hutchings (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Charles CC/Liberty) drove in a run on a fielder's choice and an error allowed another run to score to cut the deficit to 7-4 in the top of the 6th.
- St. Francis tacked on two runs in the bottom of the inning off a two-run single.
Game Two:
- Stukenberg went 3-for-4 with five RBI and four runs scored.
- Dreier collected three hits in three at-bats, two RBI and two runs
- Freshman outfielder Nick Altobelli (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) also was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and an RBI.
- Junior infielder Sebastian Parchomenko (Algonquin, Ill./Southwest Mississippi/Dundee Crown) hit a home run and doubled in four trips to the plate with two RBI and two runs.
- Junior outfielder Justin Massingale (Carbondale, Ill./St. Charles CC/Carbondale Community) also went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI walk and a triple.
- Simicek was 2-for-4 with two RBI, a double and a run.
- Senior pitcher Julian Vargas (Tinley Park, Ill./Tinley Park) registered the win (2-1) with 5.0 innings, four hits, one earned run and two strikeouts.
- Senior pitcher Tzu-Chun Yen (Kaohsiung, Taiwan/Ohlone/Meiho) tossed an inning with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Sophomore pitcher Osvaldo Ballesteros Jr. (Berwyn, Ill./St. Laurence) allowed a walk in an inning of work.
- Stukenberg lined an RBI triple to center field and scored on an RBI base hit by Simecek for a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st.
- Saint Xavier plated six runs in the top of the 2nd. Parchomenko hammered an RBI double, Massingale drew an RBI walk, Orzech hit a sac fly and Stukenberg belted a three-run home run.
- Altobelli smashed his first collegiate home run in the top of the 3rd and Parchomenko hit his first home run as a Cougar to push the advantage to 10-0.
- The Fighting Saints homered in the bottom of the 3rd.
- Stukenberg homered again in the top of the 4th.
- In the top of the 6th Simicek and Hutchings each hit RBI doubles and Dreier slugged a two-run home run to go up 15-1.
- Sophomore infielder Gannon Burns (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) capped the scoring with an RBI groundout in the top of the 7th.
Saint Xavier (8-11/1-1 CCAC) hosts Indiana University South Bend in a four-game series starting on Friday, March 15 with a doubleheader starting at 12:00 pm at Ferrell Field in Chicago, Ill. The first two games of the series were scheduled to be played in South Bend, Ind. but were moved to the forecast for rain.