Villalobos and D'Amato Earn Weekly Empire 8 Honors
The Empire 8 Conference has announced its weekly awards, naming Houghton senior Ignacio Villalobos and St. John Fisher College junior Justin D’Amato the Player and Pitcher of the Week.
Villalobos batted 5-for-7 (.714) in Houghton’s win over Hilbert on April 5. He recorded two doubles and one triple with two runs scored and seven runs batted in for a 1.000 slugging percentage. The infielder logged a perfect fielding percentage with four putouts and one assist.
D’Amato threw the first game of a Sunday Empire 8 doubleheader against visiting Utica College. The Pioneers hit a homer in the first inning off the lefty, but D’Amato was not fazed, allowing just two hits in the final six innings. D’Amato controlled the game, striking out 11 batters on his way to the 4-1 victory. The win made the junior 4-0 on the season and earned him the 24th win of his career, which is the College’s all-time record.