Elgin, Ill. – Playing for position in the CCAC post-season tournament, Judson University (15-22/12-8) split their CCAC series with St. Xavier (31-18/13-5) winning the first game 6-5 but falling in game two, 6-1. St. Xavier is ranked #5 in the latest NAIA Region VII poll. The 12 CCAC wins for Judson ties school records for wins the CCAC.
Oscar DePablos led Judson with a 3-of-7 performance and two RBI and one double. Kyle Kobernus won game one with a complete game win to improve to 5-4 on the season.
Scoring three runs in the fifth inning to take the 6-5 lead, Judson held on for the win as Kobernus retired the side in the top of the seventh inning. Kobernus got Zach Clements to fly to start the inning. After a Judson error put Mark Siefert on, the next SXU batter flied out followed by a strike out to end the game.
SXU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a single up the middle to score Clements. Two innings later, Judson countered with a two-run inning to take the lead, 2-1. After Golz popped out, both Angel Cisneros and Kevin Fischer singled up the middle to get on base. They both advanced a base when SXU pitcher Bryant Myjak over threw first base trying to pickoff Fischer. On the very next pitch, DePablos doubled down the left field line to bring them both home.
In the next three innings, Judson and SXU exchanged the lead twice. SXU scored three runs to retake the lead, 4-2, but Judson added one run in the bottom of the third to make it 4-3. SXU made it 5-3 in the top of the fifth inning only to see their two-run lead disappear in the bottom of the inning when Judson would score three runs for the win.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Judson scored three runs with two outs. Fischer came home first on a Zach Scipione single and then two batters later Scott Kainovic singled home Scipione to tie the game at five. Roger Lugo brought home the winning run with a single to centerfield to score Rafael Tejada for the one-run lead.
In the sixth, SXU had two runners on with one out but Kobernus struck out Don Skelly and then Tony Testin grounded out to end the inning.
Both Lugo and Golz went 2-of-3 for Judson with one RBI. DePablos had one hit (double) that scored two RBI.
Judson could not get their offense going in game two as they scored just one run in the fourth inning and left only two runners on. SXU scored two in the first inning and then made it 3-0 in the top of the third inning. Judson cut it to a two-run game, 3-1, in the fourth only to see SXU score three runs in the sixth inning.
Juan P. DeArmas took the loss going two innings and giving up three earned runs. Carlos Soto pitched 3.2 innings followed by 1.1 innings pitched from Alci Gonzales.
DePablos went 2-of-2 in the game and Scipione had Judson other hit.
Judson will now wait to see where they are placed in the CCAC post-season Tournament that will start on May 1st.
