WILMINGTON, Del. –  While taking both games of Wednesday's doubleheader against 18th in the nation Goldey-Beacom College would have been great for Post University Baseball in pursuit of its fourth consecutive CACC North Division Regular Season Title, the Eagles would have to settle for a split, overcoming an early deficit in game one for a 9-8 triumph before falling short in their game two comeback attempt, 7-6, against the Lightning. 

With Wednesday's results all settled, the Eagles find themselves in a three-way tie with Felician University and Dominican (N.Y.) for the CACC North Division's top spot, as all three teams currently have eight losses with the Chargers leading the division right now based on games played, having a 24-8 record comparably to Post and Felician's 22-8 records. The Eagles and Chargers square off in four games this weekend, starting with a doubleheader at Municipal Stadium on Friday afternoon.

THE BASICS

Post University 9, #18 Goldey-Beacom College 8
 
Post University 6, #18 Goldey-Beacom College 7 (7 Innings)
 
Post University (26-17, 22-8 CACC)

#18 Goldey-Beacom College (31-13, 21-7 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Game 1: Post University 9, #18 Goldey-Beacom College 8
Senior utilityman Damaruys Rodriguez kicked off his day with a solo home run off of junior left-hander Sean Kelby, giving the Eagles a quick 1-0 lead before Goldey-Beacom responded with three runs off of senior right-hander Justin Portes in the bottom of the frame. RBI singles from senior infielders Jaden Dickerson and Braden Kolmansberger gave the Lightning that two-run edge, 3-1, before three innings later, graduate catcher Isaiah Velazco tied things up at three all with his two-run home run, the second of the season. 

Graduate outfielder Jaylen Kelley's RBI ground out would give Post the lead back, 4-3, and Rodriguez would add to it in the fifth with a sacrifice fly, before once again Kolmansberger and the Lightning answered back with his game-tying,two-run double in the bottom of that same frame. Senior right-hander Gage Bendix's wild pitch in the seventh, along with senior third baseman Justin Rivera's RBI single, helped Post regain the lead for good despite a late comeback attempt by Goldey-Beacom.

An RBI double from junior catcher Manny Contreras and a sacrifice fly from Rivera, around an RBI single from Lightning senior infielder Bobby Stewart, proved crucial in providing the insurance runs Post would need to secure game one. After junior right-hander Harby Valera gave the Eagles seven innings of relief, allowing three runs on six hits with six strikeouts and a walk, freshman right-hander CJ Pierce looked to nail things down with a three-run lead, 9-6, in the bottom of the ninth.

However, Pierce ran into trouble, walking the bases loaded with one out and being pulled for freshman right-hander Logan Pulitano to finish the job. After Pultiano allowed a two-run single to freshman infielder Zach Smethers, he would retire Kolmansberger and senior catcher Adam McEvoy to help shut down the Goldey-Beacom comeback in a 9-8 win for the Eagles. 

Game 2: Post University 6, #18 Goldey-Beacom College 7 (7 Innings)
Striking first again would be the Eagles, making the most of a throwing error from senior infielder Dante DiSabatino on a ground ball from Rivera, giving Post a 1-0 lead, which would yet again be short-lived as Kolmansberger doubled in a run in the bottom of the first to tie it back up at one all. Using an RBI ground out from Rodriguez in the third, that would be the last time Post found themselves in front in the affair, as five unanswered runs for the Lightning gave them a four-run lead, 6-2, in which they would never look back. 

Sophomore right-hander Sebastian Velazquez was responsible for six of the seven runs allowed by Post pitching, lasting four innings and scattering six hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Stewart's two-run home run in the third put the Lightning in front by one, and they would follow it up with three more runs in the fourth via a two-run double from Dickerson and senior outfielder Christian Petrillo's RBI single, making it 6-2, before the Eagles looked to slowly chip away against the Goldey-Beacom bullpen. 

Striking back for two runs, Rivera's RBI single and Kelley's RBI ground out brought Post back to within two runs, 6-4, in the fifth, before DiSabatino gave the Lightning some breathing room with his RBI single in response. Trailing still by three heading into the seventh, a two-run home run from Velazco, his second of the afternoon, followed by a single from Rodriguez, brought the go-ahead run to the plate for the Eagles with nobody out, forcing a pitching change for the Lightning.

Relieving senior right-hander Wyatt Atkinson would be freshman right-hander George Starr, who set down the heart of the Post order in 1-2-3 fashion to earn his first collegiate save and, with the 7-6 victory, give the Lightning a split of the doubleheader. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Damaurys Rodriguez was near-perfect at the plate today, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, three walks, three stolen bases, and six runs scored in the split 
• Harby Valera pitched a season-high seven innings with a season-high six strikeouts, while allowing three runs on six hits with only one walk, earning his first win on the mound this season for Post University 
• Isaiah Velazco continues to swing a hot bat for Post University, making it 13 of the last 15 games in which he has recorded a hit for the Eagles -- Velazco has reached base safely in the last 16 games he has played in 
• Since being swept by Goldey-Beacom College at home in the regular season last year, Post University has split the last four matchups with the Lightning, in which three of the four have been decided by a single run 

WHO'S NEXT
Ahead of Saturday's rain, Post University will face Dominican (N.Y.) at home on Friday afternoon with the first pitch of game one scheduled for 12:00 PM at Municipal Stadium. Senior Day will now be hosted next Tuesday between games of Post's doubleheader against Lincoln University, which is now starting at 2:00 PM. As for the Friday series, the Eagles have won a program-best eight consecutive games in the all-time series against the Chargers dating back to 2022.