PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – Visiting St. Lawrence University powered to a doubleheader sweep over the University of Rochester on Friday afternoon, taking both ends of a Liberty League matchup at Towers Field.
 
The Saints used a monster 14-run inning in game one, leading to a 20-8 victory, while a strong pitching performance in the nightcap led to a SLU 7-1 triumph.
 
With the losses, Rochester falls to 8-13 on the season, dropping to 1-7 in Liberty League play. St. Lawrence picks up two key divisional wins, moving its record to 9-8 overall and 4-3 in the conference. The same two teams meet on Saturday afternoon at 2 pm, closing out the weekend series.
 
Game 1: St. Lawrence 20, Rochester 8
The visiting Saints were able to start fast in game one, getting a leadoff singles from Jack Finnegan and after a ground out moved him up to second, Riley Reimund laced a two-out single to plate the first run of the game.
 
In the second, SLU's Mike Siano doubled to right to score a run and two batters later, Nolan Widrick singled in Siano to boost the Saints lead to 3-0.
 
Rochester got two runs back in the bottom of the second. Carlos Barajas led off with a walk. Jake Goldberg followed with a single, advancing Barajas to third. During the next at-bat, Goldberg and Barajas executed the first-and-third double-steal perfectly, putting UR on the board. Two batters later, Ryan Huckabone picked up an RBI, with Goldberg racing home on a short grounder back to the pitcher.
 
A solo shot by Gabe Albertson boosted the Saints lead in the top of the third, but the Yellowjackets answered back with three runs in the bottom half of the frame to take their first lead of the day.
 
Benjamin Garber and Jake Bentivenga led off with back-to-back singles. A botched throw on a sacrifice bunt by Sammy Besztery loaded the bases. Barajas drove in a run on the next play, which was a fielder's choice that ended up not getting any outs as the shortstop was ruled off the bag on a neighborhood play in an attempt to turn two.
 
Goldberg, the next hitter, did ground into a double play, allowing another run to score and Luke Blozy ripped a single to center to score another run, putting URochester up 5-4.
 
The Yellowjackets extended the lead with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Teddy Monahan doubled to center, leading off the inning. He then capitalized on a pair of wild pitches to cross home plate. Later in the inning, Besztery reached on an infield single, scoring George Farley IV, boosting the 'Jacket lead to three runs.
 
The lead did not last though, as St. Lawrence batted around twice in the top of the fifth inning, scoring a whopping 14 runs, going from down three runs to up 11, leading 18-7 after sending 19 batters to the plate. Ethan Harris clubbed a 2-run home run, Finnegan recorded a 2-run triple and Albertson smacked a 3-run home run as a few of the big hits in the frame for St. Lawrence.
 
Overall, the Saints used 11 hits, a key Rochester error and a couple walks to burst the game wide open.
 
The lead remained the same until SLU tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh on a Harris 2-run single up the middle. The 13-run cushion remained through the bottom of the inning, leading to a mercy-rule shortened contest.
 
Eight of nine starters for the Saints finished game one with multiple hits, including Finnegan who was 4-for-5 with a double, triple, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI. Harris drove in five runs in his 2-for-5 outing, while Max Cloutier finished 3-for-4 with a double and three runs.
 
Rochester's Garber, Bentivenga and Monahan all recorded two hits in the loss.
 
On the mound, Zach Herzog started and went two innings for URochester. James Nelson took the loss, surrendering seven runs. Sunil Lindsay and Aidan Watts finished off the game for the Yellowjackets.
 
SLU's Joshua Polumbo earned the win for the visitors, striking out two in two scoreless frames of work. Liam Hickey started and gave up seven runs (5 earned) for the Saints.
 
Game 2: St. Lawrence 7, Rochester 1
St. Lawrence pitchers David Zuhlsdorf and Michael Flyzik combined to allow just four Yellowjacket base hits in game two, leading to the six-run victory.
 
Zuhlsdorf tossed six innings and allowed just one run, scattering five walks and three hits, striking out three. Flyzik finished the contest with three scoreless innings, striking out three and walking two, picking up his second save of the season.
 
The Saints threatened in the top of the third against UR starter Andrew Lenhard, but a nifty double play from Barajas to Besztery to Bentivenga erased the threat and kept the game scoreless through three innings.
 
Another big inning for St. Lawrence proved to be the difference maker in game two, with the Saints plating five runs in the fourth inning, ultimately sending eleven men to the plate.
 
An error started the 5-run inning and later featured 2-RBI hits from Siano and Eddie Morrissey. Willie Landman gave the Saints the five-run lead with an RBI single up the middle. The inning could have been worse though, as SLU stranded the bases loaded.
 
The next inning, Landman singled again into center field, boosting the lead to 6-0 after five innings.
 
In the sixth, the Yellowjackets scraped across their lone run of the contest on a Monahan sacrifice fly. His fly out scored Bentivenga who reached on a four-pitch walk. Garber also had a single in the inning, with both runners moving up on a passed ball.
 
John Donnellan completed the scoring in game two with an RBI single in the top of the eighth inning.
 
During their half of the eighth, URochester threatened with two runners getting on base. Both ended up moving to second and third after a wild pitch, but were stranded there, keeping the score at 7-1 entering the last inning.
 
Flyzik pitched around a 2-out walk in the ninth, sending the Saints to the series victory. Prior to last year, SLU had not won a season series against URochester since 2014, with the Saints now taking the series in back-to-back seasons.
 
In game two, Finnegan had another outstanding game, going 3-for-6 with 3 steals and 2 runs scored for the Saints. Donnellan added a 3-for-5 game with a run and RBI.
 
URochester's Besztery had two hits, finishing 2-for-4. Lenhard ended up tossing three scoreless innings to start, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.
 
Theo Beckley was saddled with the loss after giving up five runs (4 earned) in his one inning. Spencer Guido saw two-thirds of an inning, while Jake Del Vecchio pitched 3.1 innings, striking out three. Ryan Balent finished things off with a scoreless inning.