CARY, N.C. - The Mansfield Mountaineers baseball team (4-4) defeated the St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans (4-3) by a final score of 5-4 on Saturday night at the DII Challenge.

Eric Gustofson got the start for the Mountaineers and allowed four runs on five hits over 4.0 innings of work. 

St. Thomas Aquinas jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. 

Mansfield answered back with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the first. Jacob Houtz got the Mounties' scoring started by singling in Ryan Scott. Cole Serfass then reached on an error by the Spartans' third baseman that allowed Zachary Shertzer to score. Ryan Verbonitz gave the Mountaineers the lead with a sac fly to center. Harold Ivery capped off the scoring in the first reaching on an error that scored Serfass.

Mansfield added their final run of the day in the bottom of the third when Shay Gustafson walked bringing home Verbonitz. 

The final runs of the game were scored in the top of the fourth as STAC hit another two-run home run cutting the Mansfield lead to 5-4. 

Austin Lewis came in relief of Gustofson in the fifth and shined under the lights throwing the final 5.0 innings. In those five innings, he allowed just three hits and struck out 13 batters.

Lewis worked himself out of a jam in the top of the sixth when STAC loaded the bases with nobody out. Lewis struck out the next three batters to keep the Mounties slim one-run lead.

The strikeouts didn't end there as Lewis would go on to retire seven of the last nine STAC batters via the strikeout and earn the victory for the Mountaineers.  

UP NEXT:

The Mountaineers turn around and take on the Wilmington University Wildcats, tomorrow, March 3 at 12:30 p.m.