TOLEDO, Ohio (LourdesAthletics.com) -- The Lourdes University baseball team put together a complete team effort on Saturday afternoon, earning a doubleheader sweep of Defiance College at Mercy Field. The Gray Wolves held off a late rally for a 5-4 win in the opener, then used a four-run fourth inning and a strong start on the mound to claim a 5-1 victory in Game Two earning a pair of Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference games and their fifth consecutive win. 

Game 1: Lourdes 5, Defiance 4
Lourdes used timely hitting and strong pitching to open the day with a 5-4 victory over Defiance in the series opener. The Gray Wolves opened the scoring in the second inning when pinch-runner Nevan Anderer came around to score on a wild pitch. Lourdes added three runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run home run to center field by Nick DiGennaro, — his fifth of the season — followed by a sacrifice fly from Caleb Edwards-Dugan that brought in Alex Dupree.

Defiance responded with three runs in the fifth to tie the game at 4-4, capitalizing on an RBI single, a groundout, and an error. The game remained deadlocked until the bottom of the ninth, when Jase Kennedy delivered a walk-off solo homer to right-center — his second of the season — to seal the win.

Andrew Arntson went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a walk, while DiGennaro finished 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Jackson Kennedy added a hit, and Dupree reached base twice and scored once.

Landen Vance pitched 7.0 solid innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits while striking out 10. Riley McKinnon (2-1) tossed two perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts to earn the win.

Game 2: Lourdes 5, Defiance 1
Lourdes scored five unanswered runs across the third and fourth innings and never looked back in the series finale, earning a 5-1 victory in Game Two to complete the doubleheader sweep.

The Gray Wolves (5-20) took a 1-0 lead in the third as Jackson Kennedy scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Caleb Edwards-Dugan. Lourdes added four more in the fourth, highlighted by Kennedy's three-run homer—the first long ball of the season for the junior catcher. Alex Dupree also delivered an RBI double in the inning to spark the rally.

Jacob Emerson (1-5) earned his first win of the season with six solid innings, scattering three hits and striking out six. Avery Harper tossed a clean seventh to close out the win.

Lourdes outhit the Yellow Jackets (10-20) by an 8-4 margin, led by A.J. Brinson's two-hit effort and Jackson Kennedy's 2-for-3, three-RBI performance. Nick DiGennaro and Joel Suraganan each added a hit and scored a run, while Zane Mullins and Edwards-Dugan each stole a base.