GOWANDA, N.Y. – Hilbert College Baseball hosted the Wells College Express this afternoon at Gowanda High School in an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference doubleheader. The Hawks dominated all afternoon on their way to a two-game sweep, and the team's first two conference wins of the season.

An eight-run first inning, combined with six shutout innings from starter Ronald Mort led the way for a 13-0 Hilbert victory in the seven-inning game one of the series.
 
Patrick Whelan's walk-off grand slam completed Hilbert's flurry of 13 runs in the 15-3 nightcap sweep over the Express.

Game 1:

The Hawks took a patient approach to the plate in the bottom of the first, earning nine first inning walks to jump out to an 8-0 lead. John Watson, Alex Ellison, Patrick Whelan, and Jack Duffek all recorded RBIs on the fourth ball of their at bats. A two RBI single off the bat of Jairo Santos was the only hit of the inning for the Hawks, as the remaining runs came from a wild pitch, and an RBI fielder's choice by John Riviere-Vejas.
 
Ellison's second RBI of the game came on a double that scored Santos in the bottom of the second to extend the lead to 9-0.
 
The nine-run cushion was more than enough for Ronald Mort who went six scoreless innings, scattering four hits, walking just one batter, while striking out five.
 
Hilbert added four more runs to the board in the fifth inning thanks to a two RBI single from Riviere-Vejas, and a pair of RBI singles from Duffek and Billy LoBello respectively.
 
Brennen Hediger pitched the final inning for the Hawks, allowing no runs on just one hit.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Jairo Santos led the way on offense, going 3/4 with two RBIs for his fourth multi-hit game in a row.
• Riviere-Vejas (3), Duffek (2), Santos (2), and Ellison (2) each had multiple RBIs in the game for the Hawks.
• Mort (2-3) earned his second win of the season in his scoreless outing.

 
Game 2:

Like game one, Hilbert wasted no time getting on the board in game two with a pair of first inning runs to take an immediate 2-0 advantage. Jairo Santos picked up right where he left off in game one, recording the first RBI in game two on a sacrifice fly that scored John Riviere-Vejas. Duffek stole home to double the lead after singling earlier in the inning.

Wells got their first three runs of the day in the top of the third to take a 3-2 lead. A double and a home run did the damage for the Express.
 
Hilbert immediately responded to these Wells' runs with a five-run bottom half of the third inning to regain their lead. RBI singles from LoBello and Riviere-Vejas, a two RBI single from Dustin Hendrix, and a passed ball that brought home Griffin McAndrews put a five spot on the scoreboard for the Hawks.
 
After the trio of Ryan Hilton, David Alessi, and Brendan Walsh provided the Hawks with five scoreless innings, the offense of Hilbert ended this one an inning early with an eight-run effort in the bottom of the eighth for the ten-run mercy rule ending.
 
Patrick Whelan got things started in the inning as his 17th career home run placed him atop the program's record book for homeruns in a career. A two RBI single off the bat of Ellison, and an RBI single from McAndrews made it an 11-3 game. Whelan's second home run of the inning, a grand slam, ended the game as the 15-3 lead of the Hawks was enough for the ten-run rule.
 

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Whelan's monster game (3-6, 5 RBIs, 2 HR) saw him become the program's all-time home run leader.
• Nolan Evans and John Riviere-Vejas each also recorded three hits in the game.
• Hilton earned his first career win on the mound, pitching two scoreless, hitless innings while striking out three batters.

Up Next:

The Hawks will look to continue their winning ways in the AMCC with a road trip to Pittsburgh, PA to take on La Roche College on Saturday, April 6^th. The doubleheader will begin at 1 pm at Baierl Athletic Complex.