The Dominican University baseball team took a doubleheader from the MSOE Raiders in the rain on Monday night to improve to 15-21 on the season and 6-10 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC).  The Stars overcame a four-run deficit before walking off, 7-6, in game one before erasing a five-run Raiders' lead in a 10-6 victory in game two.
 
"That was a great day all around," commented Steve Hardman, the Stars' head coach. "We showed a lot of mental toughness in battling the elements and overcoming two sizable deficits and putting together a couple of big innings to win two very important games as we enter the stretch run.  Daniel Supple was fantastic out of the bullpen today. He kept us close and gave us the opportunity to chip away at the lead in game two."
 
With four games to play, the Stars sit in in a tie for seventh place in the NACC standings, one game out of the sixth and final spot of the conference tournament.  Dominican was scheduled to travel to Lakeland University on Tuesday to take on the Muskies, but the series was postponed for the second time, this time rescheduled for Friday, May 5.  The Stars then close out the 2017 regular season on Saturday, traveling to Marian University to meet the Sabres.
 
Game One: Dominican 7, MSOE 6
 
Trailing 6-2 heading to the bottom of the seventh, the Stars scored three runs in the seventh and another in the eighth to knot the game at 6-6.  Royce Salay started the seventh inning rally when he doubled to the gap in left-center, scoring Mike Piotrowski.  After a groundout, KJ Wilk came through with a big two-out hit, looping a single to left field to score Mike Buckley and Salay and pull the Stars within 6-5.
 
After Colin Janison set the Raiders down in order in the top of the eighth, Matt Segovia roped a one-out double and then took third on a passed ball.  After a strikeout, Piotrowski delivered the clutch, two-out hit, lining a double to left to even the score, 6-6.
 
Janison pitched around a leadoff single in the top of the ninth, stranding the go-ahead run at third when he got MSOE's Jimmy Carrington to ground out to third.
 
Nathaniel Natividad led off the last of the ninth, putting the winning run on the bases when he was hit by the first pitch of the at-bat.  After a sacrifice bunt, the Raiders walked Janison to get to Frankie Sessa.  Sessa lined a 1-0 pitch off of Sam Crawford, the Raiders' pitcher, to load the bases with one away for Segovia.  After working a full count, Segovia lined a single through the left side of the infield, allowing Natividad to trot home for the win.
 
The Stars pounded out 13 hits in the winning effort, including three for Segovia and two apiece for Sessa and Salay.
 
On the mound, Janison picked up the complete-game victory, improving to 3-5 on the season.  The junior right-hander surrendered six runs on 12 hits while walking none and striking out two.
 
Game Two: Dominican 10, MSOE 6
 
Trailing 6-1 in the bottom of the fifth, the Stars began to chip away at the MSOE lead, scoring three times in the inning on just one hit.  After the Raiders walked two batters and hit another, Joe Kukla was hit with a 2-1 pitch before Piotrowski looped a single to right, scoring a pair of runs, to bring the Stars within 6-4.
 
The Stars then plated six runs while batting around in the bottom of the sixth to open a 10-6 lead.  Brian Costello was hit with a 1-2 pitch to lead off the inning.  After a Natividad single and Wilk walk loaded the bases.  A wild pitch allowed Costello to cross before Janison lined a two-run double to left-center.  A pair of wild pitches allowed Janison to cross before back-to-back walks to Sessa and Segovia restarted the rally.  After a sacrifice bunt put the runners at second and third for Piotrowski, the Stars' sophomore singled to center to bring across both runners and cap the rally.
 
Supple came on in the top of the fourth, allowing just one inherited runner to score while picking up his sixth win of the season, tying the Stars' program record for wins in a season.  The senior right-hander surrendered just six hits and three walks while striking out four in relief of Tyler Brown who got the game two start.