WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – A resilient effort by the Southern Vermont College baseball team led to the Mountaineers defeating Williams College for the first time in seven all-time meetings—topping the Ephs 9-6 in 10 innings at Bobby Coombs Field.

SVC trailed 5-0 before using a four-run fourth to make it a one-run game. The Mountaineers would then go on top 6-5 in the seventh—only to see Williams, a team ranked eighth in this week's New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Division III poll, get one back in the home half of the frame to tie it up.

Neither side could cross the dish through the final two scheduled innings, but Southern Vermont then struck in the 10th with three runs for the upper hand. The Mountaineers were able to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the box—which saw the winning run come to the plate—as the visitors closed out the non-conference win.

SVC (9-14-1) is scheduled to be back in action on Saturday with a 12 p.m. New England Collegiate Conference home doubleheader against Elms College. The Mountaineers and Ephs are slated to line up against on Tuesday—first pitch at Southern Vermont being at 4 p.m.

Southern Vermont junior right fielder Nick Santoro (Syracuse, N.Y.) went 3-4 with a walk, three RBIs, and a run scored; two of his runs batted in came in the seventh as he helped put the Mountaineers on top. Sophomore shortstop Nick Guajardo (Mansfield, Texas) was 2-4 with a walk, two runs scored, and two RBIs while junior left fielder Brandon Lara-Mack (San Gabriel, Calif.) went 2-5 with another two runs batted in and a run scored.

Mountaineer junior lefty Ryan Richardson (Pasadena, Md.) tossed a solid four innings of relief—striking out three while giving up just one run on three hits. Freshman right-hander Joseph Ruelas (Rowland Heights, Calif.) went the final two frames and kept Williams off the board to collect his first collegiate win (1-0); he allowed just one hit and a pair of walks after entering the game in the bottom of the ninth with the score knotted at 6-6.

Williams notched a lone run in the bottom of the first before adding four more in the third. Southern Vermont would get on the board in the fourth as Guajardo singled through the left side to score one while Santoro followed with a two-run double to left.

With SVC trailing 5-4 in the top of the seventh and two outs, Santoro laced the first pitch he saw into shallow center field for two runs to score and the Mountaineers to go ahead. WC would be able to even things in the home half of the frame, however, to set up an exciting finish.

Both teams stranded runners in the eighth before going down in order in the ninth. Southern Vermont loaded the bases in the 10th, and Guajardo fought through a tough at bat before sending a fly ball deep enough to right-center for the go-ahead tally to come home. Lara-Mack followed with a single to right for two SVC insurance runs to come around and touch the dish.

A pair of two-out walks helped the Ephs load the bases in the bottom of the 10th, but Ruelas got the Williams pinch hitter to fly out to center field for the visitors to ensure their program would end with at least one win over Williams.

– #LetsGoSVC –