Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

VERONA, Wis. - The Benedictine University baseball team returned to conference play by splitting a doubleheader in Wisconsin at Edgewood.

GAME ONE: BENEDICTINE 11, EDGEWOOD 8
Benedictine hammered 19 hits and used a pair of big innings to nab the opening game. Mark Belcastro improved to 5-0 on the season in his fifth start after logging 7.2 innings.

Edgewood opened the scoring in the first inning, netting three hits to tally a run. Benedictine tied the game immediately in the top of the second. Tom Higgins led off with a double and scored seconds later on a Nick Karakosta double to even the game. The Eagles were able to take the lead by scoring three times in the third. With one out Dan Zust singled and moved up to third when Uli Ortiz singled. Ryan Mullin delivered a sacrifice fly before John Cervantes roped his second homer of the season to hand Benedictine a 4-1 advantage.

Two more runs in the fourth inning extended the margin to 6-1. Tim Hendricks opened with a one out single. Zust and Ortiz kept the inning alive with two outs with singles and Hendricks scored the first tally of the frame on the Ortiz single. Mullin drove home his second run of the game with a single as well.

The hosts clawed within 6-2 in the bottom of the inning before Benedictine netted a single sixth inning run to move in front 7-2 on another run scoring single from Mullin. Edgewood battled back with a four run seventh, leaving the tying run at third.

Holding on to a one-run lead, Benedictine scored four ninth inning runs to provide insurance. Pinch runner Chris Garrett scored the first run on an error. Steve Coat knocked home two with a double to right and moved up to third on the throw. Mike Luschen, pinch hitting, drove home the final run of the game with a sacrifice fly.

Edgewood made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth, scoring twice before reliever Shay Wagner recorded the final out for his fourth save.

Six players recorded more than one hit in the game led by Zust's four out of the leadoff slot. Mullin finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs. All nine members of the lineup picked up at least one hit.

GAME TWO: EDGEWOOD 3, BENEDICTINE 2
The second contest marked the polar opposite of the first. Edgewood won the game on an error in the bottom of the ninth.

Kevin Crowley pitched eight strong innings but was saddled with the loss. Edgewood opened the scoring with a single run in the bottom of the second. Mike Selvaggi, the designated hitter, homered leading off the frame. Benedictine was able to tie the game with a run in the fifth. Nick Karakosta reached on an error leading off the fifth and scored on a groundout from Hendricks.

Edgewood (7-11, 4-2) responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead before Benedictine again tied the game in the seventh. Cervantes connected on his second homer of the day leading off the frame. The host Eagles won the game after the first two batters of the ninth reached base. Crowley fanned eight in the defeat.

Benedictine (9-11, 3-3) welcomes Maranatha at 2:00 p.m. on Monday for a Northern Athletics Conference doubleheader.