The St. Mary’s College of Maryland baseball team powered through a United East Conference doubleheader sweep against Notre Dame (Md.) on Sunday at the Hawk’s Nest in St. Mary’s City, capturing momentum early in the season with sharp hitting and dominant pitching.
In the opener, the Seahawks overcame an early deficit to secure a 6-1 victory. Notre Dame (Md.) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single, but St. Mary’s responded swiftly in the bottom half. Connor Wilkerson reached third on a failed pickoff that allowed Demetris Beverly to score, followed by Kaden Hnath’s RBI single for a 2-1 edge.
The Seahawks exploded in the third inning. Hnath lined a two-run single to plate Rhett Fletcher and Wilkerson, and Layne Lesko added a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-1. An unearned run in the fifth came via a balk that scored Aaron Wathen, sealing the 6-1 final.
Hnath led the charge offensively, finishing 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Wilkerson went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Wathen contributed two hits, including a double. The team amassed 11 hits overall.
Jordan Bonhoff picked up the win, throwing 5.1 innings, surrendering three hits and one earned run while fanning five. The relief corps—Willie Nelson, Noah Gross, and Nick Russo—shut down the Gators over the final 1.2 innings without allowing a run.
Game two unfolded as a pitcher’s duel, ending with a 3-2 Seahawks victory. St. Mary’s broke through in the second when Kyle Catanzaro singled home Layne Lesko. The third inning brought two more runs: Wilkerson’s RBI single and a run scored during a caught-stealing play that allowed him to cross the plate for a 3-0 advantage.
Notre Dame rallied in the fifth with a two-run triple to close within one, but the Seahawks’ arms held firm thereafter.
Ryan Matthews earned the win, going five innings and giving up two runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Cam Gill closed it out for his first save, tossing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and one hit allowed.
Rhett Fletcher paced the offense at 2-for-3, while Wilkerson reached base twice and drove in a run. Aggressive baserunning paid dividends as the Seahawks drew six walks and stole bases to keep pressure on.
Across both games, Wilkerson scored three runs and drove in two. Hnath’s three RBIs came in the opener. The pitching staff restricted Notre Dame to three total runs over 14 innings. Speed stood out with nine stolen bases on the day, highlighting the team’s aggressive style.
The Seahawks improved to 3-3 overall. Notre Dame (Md.) fell to 0-6.
St. Mary’s next faces Marymount in a non-conference road game Tuesday, March 3.
