NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Pioneer pitching gave up just five hits in 14 innings and one huge frame in each game gave the Sacred Heart baseball team a doubleheader sweep of Mount St. Mary's on Saturday at New Britain Stadium. In winning their second and third straight games, 7-1 and 8-1, the Pioneers move within two and a half games of first place Bryant at 15-6 in Northeast Conference play.

The two teams return to New Britain stadium tomorrow, as SHU goes for the sweep at 1 pm.

Game One

Jesus Medina came a two-out error in the seventh away from completing SHU's ninth shutout of the season. That was just the second runner to reach scoring position on the senior, who gave up just two hits, leadoff singles in the second and seventh, and did not walk a batter. He struck out four and worked four 1-2-3 innings, which would have been five if not for two Pioneer errors.

The Sacred Heart offense gave him more than enough support in the first inning alone, with six of the first seven Pioneers to come to the plate all recording base hits. Ted Shaw and Jayson Sullivan began it all with back-to-back singles, and following a fielder's choice, Victor Sorrento gave SHU all the run support it would need with a two-run triple, his NEC-leading fifth of the year.

Sacred Heart was not done there though, with PJ DeFilippo, Jesus Medina and Jake Friar all lining RBI singles, the latter of which plated two to cap off the explosive first. Keith Klebart added a solo home run in the fourth, the first of his career, and DeFilippo followed a Sorrento lead off double and ensuing wild pitch in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to round out the scoring.

Eight of the nine Pioneer starters had a hit, with Shaw, Sorrento, Medina and Klebart each finishing with two. Shaw added a walk and run scored, Sorrento had two runs and two RBI's, Medina scored, and Klebart had the solo dinger.

Game Two

Game two went much like the first, although the big inning did not come until the fifth, when Sacred Heart sent 12 hitters to the plate. Tied at 1-1, Medina led off the frame by roping a hard line drive that was dropped for an error. Up stepped Dan Schock, who delivered the game-winner in a big way, blasting a two-run home run deep over the left field fence to give SHU its first lead of the nightcap, 3-1.

That was just the beginning, as the next four Pioneers all reached base, starting with consecutive singles by Doyle and Alex Perry. Shaw then laid a beautiful bunt down the third base line to load the bases for Sullivan, who was hit by a pitch. SHU did not let a strikeout halt the momentum, as Sorrento came through with yet another big base knock, doubling off the left centerfield fence to clear the bases and extend the advantage to 7-1. Coming around to bat for a second time, Medina then finished it all off with one final single, completing the scoring for the frame and game.

Baylor Sundahl would come on in relief of Brent Teller in the sixth and work around a walk and hit batter to complete a scoreless inning of work. Teller picked up the win by going the first five frames allowing just the one run on three hits to move to over .500 at 4-3. A runner passed first in just one of his five frames. Mike Lembo completed the dominant performance by the pitching staff with two punch outs in a scoreless seventh.  

Teller's lone blemish came with two outs in the second when Dalton Clouser sent a single up the middle to give the Mount its first lead of the weekend. Sacred Heart erased that first deficit with a two-out hit of its own, a Shaw double in the third that brought home Perry, who had kept the inning alive with a walk.

Shaw and Perry were two of three Pioneers who had multiple base knocks in the nightcap, joining Doyle. It was Shaw's second two-hit performance of the day, as he added an RBI and run scored. Perry was a perfect 2-2 with a walk and two runs scored.