The Hamilton College baseball team opened its season Saturday by sweeping a doubleheader from host Bard College. The Continentals, who open their 12-game Florida trip on Monday, held on for a 9-8 victory in the opener and cruised to a 7-1 win in game two.

Hamilton pounded out 22 hits to start the season 2-0 for the fourth year in a row. Brett Mele '17 led the visitors with five hits.

In game one Hamilton broke a 3-3 tie with five fourth-inning runs and then held on as the Raptors (3-2) scored twice in their last at-bat and brought the winning run to the plate.

In the fourth-inning outburst, Mele singled in a pair of runs and Andrew Haser '17 doubled home two runs. Mele tripled in the decisive run in the top of the seventh, finishing four-for-five.

Finlay O'Hara '17 worked out of trouble in the bottom of the seventh to earn his fifth career save. Starter Cole Dreyfuss '16 fanned five batters over five innings to earn the win.

O'Hara retired two of the first three hitters in the seventh before Matt Lasky, who singled with one out, stole second then scored on a single by Jeff Goldrosen. Dylan Long followed with a pinch-hit single that pulled Bard to within a run but O'Hara induced an infield pop-up to seal the win.

Mele's two-run single snapped a 3-3 tie after David Rose '16 led off the fourth with a walk and Zack Becker '16 reached on an infield error. Haser hit a two-out, two-run double following walks to Ryan Wolfsberg '17 and Kenny Collins '17, then scored on a double by Chris Collins '17.

Mele, who drove in a career-high five runs, singled in a pair of runs to highlight Hamilton's three-run second. Chris Collins doubled to left to lead off the inning and Dean Rosenberg '18 walked. Becker singled home Chris Collins for the Continentals' first run of the season, then stole second. He and Rosenberg scored on Mele's single to the left-center field gap.

Dreyfuss' win was the 10th of his career.

Haser and Chris Collins both finished with two doubles.

In the nightcap, Dan DePaoli '18 allowed just two hits and an unearned run over six innings and Jordan Northrup '19 collected three hits, including a triple, and drove in a pair of runs. He singled in a run in the second after Chris Collins scored on a passed ball.

After Bard scored in the bottom of the third to pull to within 2-1, the Continentals sealed the win with three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.

Wolfsberg led off the sixth with a double down the left-field line and Haser beat out a bunt. Two batters later, Rosenberg singled home both runs then scored on Northrup's two-out triple.

Haser and Chris Collins added run-scoring hits in the seventh to close out the scoring.

DePaoli limited Bard to a lead-off double in the third and an infield single to open the sixth. He struck out two Raptors and improved to 2-1 in his career.

Haser, Rosenberg and Chris Collins each finished with two hits.

The Continentals start their Florida stretch Monday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader against Minnesota-Morris in Auburndale.