FORT PIERCE, FL – Sal Carroccia grabbed his and the team's second victory during spring training as Hilbert opened the day's double header with an 8-6 victory over Geneva College before they dropped a 17-3 game to Bethany College March 15.  Following the game and a quick bite to eat, Hilbert (2-9) boarded the bus for the long drive back to Western New York.

Carroccia went 8.2 innings on the mound knocking down nine runners with strikeouts without giving any batter a free walk to first base with two earned runs.  Anthony Wurstner earned one hit but finished with team-best 3 RBIs.  Paul Wujek was three for five, scored two runs and was one of the four other Hawks to earn RBIs on the day.

Hilbert took an early one-run lead in the top of the first when Ryan Bonafede's sacrifice fly sent Wujek home.  Geneva responded with two runs in the second and tacked one more on in the sixth.  The Hawks exploded with four runs to regain their lead in the 7th.  Tom Irish pushed John Babocsi home just before Noah Rasnik's single scored Carroccia. Wurstner then tripled to left field which gave Wujek and Rasnik time to trot home for the 5-3 lead.

Geneva's third batter got on after two quick outs.  He touched home plate before their fifth batter grounded out which cut the score to one.

Wujek again started the rally in the 9th.  Daniel Christmann scored and Rasnik moved to third base as Wujek grounded out to short.  Wurstner took first base after a fielding error by the pitcher and Rasnik was able to beat the throw home, for the Hawks second run.  Michael Voveris singled to right field which gave Wurstner plenty of time to make it home.  Even with an 8-4 lead, the game was still in question when Geneva's second batter hit a solo home run.  Three batters later, Geneva singled to center and the Tornados added another tally.  Matkowsky's fresh arm mowed down Geneva's final batter for the 8-6 win.

Just a short time later, Tyler Roth led the Hawks charge against Bethany College.  The sophomore hurler went 2.1 innings before a trio of pitchers closed the game.  Bethany held a 2-0 lead at the bottom of the third, and then they went on a two-inning, 14-run rant to put the game away.  Hilbert broke into the score book in the 5th with a single run, and added two more in the top of the 7th. 

Rasnik's RBI sac fly in the 5th combined with Crawley's two-run RBI in the 7th were it for Hilbert.   Wujek went 2 for 3 with a double bagger and Crawley and Spencer Sticek (double) were 1 for 1 in their late game entries.  Justin Hulbert closed the game on the mound throwing 2.1 innings with team-best 4 strikes while giving up just one hit and one run.

Hilbert is scheduled to play a 9-inning game at the College of Brockport March 22.  Follow the website and twitter for any changes in dates/location of baseball games this spring (winter) season.