Box Score 1 | Box Score 3



CLAYTON, Mo. - The Benedictine University baseball team kicked off the 2012 season in suburban St. Louis, posting a 2-1 mark in three weekend games against Millikin and host Fontbonne on Saturday and Sunday.

GAME ONE: BENU 13, MILLIKIN 5
Five runs in the fifth inning put some distance between Benedictine and Millikin as the Eagles soared to a season opening win.

Benedictine opened the scoring in the second inning. John Cervantes led off with a double and scored on an RBI groundout from Steve Cocat. Millikin came back to tie the game in the top of the fourth, scoring a run off starter Mark Belcastro on a Peter Bonner RBI single.

As the home team in the neutral contest, Cervantes led off the bottom of the inning with a single and scored again later on another Cocat grounder.

The bats exploded in the fifth for five runs to open a 7-1 advantage. Dan Zust, who posted a big weekend, opened with a leadoff single and promptly stole second before swiping third with one out. Tom Higgins plated Zust with an RBI double to left. The bases loaded after Cervantes was hit by a pitch and Tim Gindville coaxed a walk. Cocat drove home his third run of the game with a fielder's choice after a pitching change and another run scored on an error. Newcomer Ryan Mullin knocked a two-run homer to right to finish the inning.

Millikin (1-6) pulled within 7-2 with a sixth-inning run before two more runs scored to extend the margin to 9-2. Zust knocked home Chris Wanderling with an RBI double and later came across on a sacrifice fly from Cervantes. Two more Millikin runs scored in the seventh before a four-run burst in the eighth put the game away.

Belcastro tossed six innings to win his opening start, allowing a pair of runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Spencer Lehmann and Nick Mishevich also appeared on the hill. Benedictine amassed 15 hits led by Zust, who was a perfect 5-for-5. Mullin contributed three hits with Mike Luschen and Cervantes posting two each. Cocat recorded four RBIs in the game.

GAME TWO: BENU 12, MILLIKIN 1 - Seven Innings
Kevin Crowley spun six shutout innings and Benedictine left no doubt early, using five first inning runs to roll to a 12-1 shortened decision.

Dan Zust led off the game with a double, his third of the day, and Nick Karakosta followed with a basehit. A failed pickoff enabled Zust to score the game's first run. With one away John Cervantes notched an RBI single. Steve Coact stretched the edge to 3-0 with an RBI single while another run scored on an error. An error also led to the final run of the frame. Karakosta's RBI single moved the lead to 6-0 in the fourth, knocking in Zust.

Benedictine doubled up the margin in seventh, striking for six runs. Brandon Clark's single led to the first two runs of the inning scoring following an error in the outfield. Tim Hendricks picked up an RBI with a groundout to make the lead 9-0. Zust recorded an RBI single after a pitching change before extra-base hits, a triple from Karakosta, and a double off the bat of Higgins, accounted for the final tallies.

Crowley scattered five hits in six blank frames, walking one and striking out six. Among the 15 hits were three doubles from Zust, who finished 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Karakosta also posted a 4-for-5 day.

GAME THREE: FONTBONNE 8, BENU 2
Despite scoring two first inning runs, Benedictine suffered its first defeat of the season to Fontbonne (3-5) on Sunday afternoon.

Both first inning runs scored after there were two outs. Tom Higgins and John Cervantes posted consecutive walks before a triple from Tim Gindville. Those were the only two runs of the contest for Benedictine, who was held to just four hits in the game.

Fontbonne took the lead by scoring single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings. The Griffins put the game away with five runs in the eighth.

Matt Vucovich suffered the defeat, lasting 4.1 innings.