DELAND, Fla. — Despite taking early leads in both games, the Sacred Heart University baseball team fell to Bethune-Cookman and Stetson on the road at Melching Field on Sunday. The Pioneers rallied back in game one to tie it at six apiece, but a 10th-inning run pushed the Wildcats ahead, 7-6. Two quick runs in the first inning of the second matchup was overshadowed by the Hatters as they grabbed the 13-4 win.

Records:

Sacred Heart: 1-9

Bethune-Cookman: 5-6

Stetson: 6-5

Up Next:

The Pioneers face Stetson for the final time on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. before continuing its Florida excursion at Florida Atlantic on March 11-13.

Game One:

Sacred Heart vs. Bethune-Cookman, L 7-6

Statistical Leaders:

Ryan Donnelly (SHU): 3-5, 3RBI

Dante D'amore (SHU): 2-5, 2R

Pitchers:

Charlie Costello (SHU): (L, 0-1) 0.2IP, 3P, 2H

Amir Asghar (B-CU): (W, 1-0) 0.1IP, 2P

Brenton Fisher (B-CU): (S, 2) 1.0, 5P, 1K

Of Note:

SHU led off the scoring in the second inning with a Tim McGuire double to left center that allowed George Sutherland and Dante D'amore to cross the plate. The bottom of the second saw two more runs as Ryan Donnelly's single to shortstop drove in McGuire and Trevor Fagan to put the Pioneers up, 4-0.

The Wildcats brought in a run off a wild pitch to cut into the deficit to get on the board with a run in the third inning.

D'amore crossed home for the second time in the matchup off a single to centerfield by Fagan.

Bethune-Cookman tallied one run off a Pioneer throwing error and remained hot with six more runs across the sixth and seventh inning.

Michael Attonito stepped on the mound in the ninth inning for three quick outs to stop the Wildcats from padding their 6-5 lead. The left-hander put in 1.1 innings of work with one run off one hit and three strikeouts.

With a one-run deficit and two outs on the board in the ninth, Donnelly singled to right field and brought home Sam Mongelli to knot the score at 6-6 to force extra innings.

Bethune-Cookman snapped the tie in the 10th inning with a single through the left side for the final score, 7-6.

Game Two:

Sacred Heart vs. Stetson, L 13-4

Statistical Leaders:

Robert Farruggio (SHU): 0-2, 2R

Joe Emerson (SHU): 1-3, 1R, 1RBI

Ryan Donnelly (SHU): 2-4, 1R

Pitchers:

Jake McDowell (SHU): (L, 0-2) 1.1IP, 14P, 5H, 8R, 2K

Cole Stallings (SU): (W, 2-0) 5.0IP, 20P, 5H, 2R, 5K

Of Note:

In the top of the first, the Red & White capitalized on two ground balls in back-to-back pitches to take an early 2-0 lead. Joe Emerson grounded out to second base to send Donnelly across the plate, followed by one from Robert Farruggio to send Mongelli home.

The opening inning welcomed four runs from the Hatters to snatch a 4-2 lead over the visitors. The home team maintained its lead with six more runs across the second and fifth innings to control the game, 10-2.

With bases loaded in the sixth, McGuire hit a ground ball to first base and brought home Emerson to shrink the deficit to seven.

In the sixth inning, Stetson regained the eight-point margin off a double to left field.

The Pioneers chased the Hatters relief pitcher from the game in the seventh after a double down the right field line by pinch hitter Dennis Gamester and two walks in four pitches to load the bases. In his first appearance in the Red & White, the first-year catcher chipped away at the deficit with his first run scored off a line out to left field by Farruggio for his second RBI.

Stetson recorded its final two runs in the eighth inning to earn the 13-4 victory.