GREENSBURG, Pa.  – After dropping the last two double headers over the last two seasons to Pitt-Greensburg, the Hilbert baseball team took their revenge in the First Round playoff series this afternoon.

The Hawks earned a lop-sided opening victory (25-11) fueled by three heavy-hitting innings and solid pitching on the mound in G 1, and they then swept the Bobcats in the night cap, winning 17-5, with another hot middle-innings performance.

Rookies Ronald Mort improved to 2-1 and Brennen Hediger grabbed his fifth win, improving to 5-4 in the nightcap.

Game 1:
Hilbert jumped out to a 3-1 lead by the 3rd inning, added three more runs in the 4th, but trailed 7-6 by the start of the 6th.  Hilbert then manufactured seven runs and built a 13-8 score which looked like that would be enough for the win, but the Hawks had other ideas.  They pounded in five more runs in the 8th and tacked on seven more runs in the 9th to take their first win against Greensburg in three years.
 
The Hawks set a new Hilbert Single Game record with 25 runs scored, breaking the old record of 23 runs scored against Eastern in 2017. 

Hilbert recorded 24 RBI off 24 hits, three doubles, a triple and only one home run.  The Hawks walked eight times and were hit by pitch twice, while only attempting and credited with one stolen base.
 
Thomas Evans (4R, 5 RBI) and Jack Duffek (4R, 4 RBI) each led the Hawks with four hits, Evans poking his 12th home run of the season while Duffek connected for two doubles.  Griffin McAndrews recorded four RBI, several from his triple in the 6th inning and Alex Ellison added 4 RBI off his three hits.
 
Patrick Whelan (2 RBI, 1R), John Riviere-Vejas (2 RBI, 2R), and Sebastian Gomez (3R) each added three hits while John Watson finished with a pair of sacrifice at bats and scored four runs.
 
Ronald Mort earned his second win while allowing six hits, and four runs while striking out three in the final five innings.  Michael Contini moved into second place in Hilbert All-Time career lists with his 12th start of the season going three innings with four hits and three runs.   
 
Game 2:

• Hilbert opened the nightcap with their two most consistent players in the lead-off.  Evans doubled and Whelan struck for yard, putting two runs on the board right out of the gate. 
• Whelan connected again for his second home run at the start of the 5th and Duffek lifted the Hawks with back-to-back 2RBI hits in both the 5th and 6th innings giving Hilbert a 9-3 lead. 
• Hilbert extended it to a 10-run lead with confidence at the plate.  Back-to-back singles loaded the bases before Ellison's SF plated pinch runner Frank McCabe.  Greensburg loaded the bases and then forced a run home off consecutive base on balls.  The Hawks used another Whelan SF to score their 13th run in the 8th inning. 
• Hilbert continued to roll in the 9th with Duffek adding another RBI, Santos hitting a single which scored two runs, and Whelan's contact to centerfield added another RBI for the 17-3 margin.

The Hawks were on fire at the plate collecting 17 hits, three doubles, and two home runs with 16 RBI, nine walks and only five strike outs.  Hilbert did swipe four bases in the night cap which kept the Bobcats off balance.

Patrick Whelan, with his two home runs, knocked in five runs off a team-best five hits (5-5).   Duffek finished with three hits (1D), one run and four RBI and Evans (3R, 2 SB, 5BB) earned one of Hilbert's three doubles. 

Brennen Hediger faced 35 batters, allowed nine hits, three runs and struck out three through seven impressive innings.  Brendan Walsh closed the series against eight batters while allowing two runs scored.

Whelan moved into 2nd place in career home runs. 

Up Next:

No. 5 Hilbert (24-16) advances to the program's first AMCC Double Elimination Tournament weekend which will be hosted this year by No. 1 Alfred State College beginning Thursday, May 11th.

Championship Round: May 11-13 at Alfred State College     

Thursday, May 11
1pm - Game 1: #1 Alfred State vs. Hilbert College
4pm - Game 2: #2 Penn St. Behrend vs. Winner Mount Aloysius / Penn State Altoona. 

Friday, May 12
10am - Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
1pm - Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
4pm - Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4

Saturday, May 13
11am - Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

2pm - Game 7 (if needed): Same as Game 6

Sunday, May 14 - inclement weather date