FLORENCE, Kentucky - The Mount St. Joseph baseball team got a walk-off 10-9 extra innings win over Wilmington on Tuesday. The Lions led early, trailed late, scored three in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at nine and eventually won on a walk-off RBI single from
Jackson Gutzwiller to win it.
The Lions opened by sending fifth-year senior
Aidan Post to the mound, it was the left-hander's first appearance of the season. He would throw the first two innings of what ended up being a bullpen day for the Mount's pitching staff. In his two-innings of work, he allowed three hits and an earned run.
The Mount would get the scoring started in the bottom of the first-inning
Anton Mere led of the game with a single, an out later
Kevin Schaaf laced an RBI double into left center to give them the lead.
Each team would score one in the second, the Lion's run came on an sacrifice fly off the bat off
Jake Lawson. The Mount would add two more in the fourth, Schaaf delivered with an RBI single, and
Brennan Martin lifted a one-out sac fly into right.
Heading into the middle innings leading 4-1, the Mount surrendered the lead in the fifth allowing Wilmington to score four times. The Quakers would add two in the sixth and the seventh innings. The Lions scraped together one in the bottom of the sixth, as
Jordan Harley scored on an bunt basehit by Lawson.
Heading into the eight the Mount trailed 9-5, Lawson walked to open the inning and then they finally got the two-out hits they had been unable to get earlier in the evening.
Andrew Harrison pulled a two-out single into left field and Gutzwiller followed with an RBI double down the left field line.
Trailing by three going into the bottom of the ninth, the outlook was grim for the blue and gold.
Will Record who came on as a pinch-runner in the seventh hit a one-out basehit into center to get them started, advancing all the way to third base on an error by the centerfielder. Mere then had an RBI infield single, and Lawson walked to put the tying run on base. Schaaf then delivered the biggest hit of the young season for MSJ, drilling two-run double into the left field corner to tie the game.
Neither team really threatened in the 10th inning, the Lions then went to work in the 11th. Lawson led off the inning with a walk, and an out later would advance to third as
Andrew Clements reached on an error by the Wilmington second baseman. An out later Gutzwiller smacked a walk-off basehit into center to give the Lions the win.
In a bullpen day the Lions used seven different pitchers, with three making their season debut. Joining Post in their first outting was sophomore
Sam Huston and freshman
Austin Adamson.
Ethan Mason came on in the ninth and threw three innings allowing only a walk, while striking out three to get the win.
Offensively they had 18 hits, Mere, Schaaf and Gutzwiller all had three hits. Schaaf had a pair of doubles and four RBIs in an outstanding performance.
UP NEXT:
The Lions will head to Florida next week for their annual Spring Break trip, they will open on Sunday with a double-header vs. Ohio Northern beginning at 9:15 am.
