Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score

IRVING, Texas — The Saint Mary's University baseball team banged out six hits during the first game of its doubleheader against UW-Platteville Saturday afternoon at the University of Dallas.

Yet, it wasn't the hits the Cardinals collected — which included a double and a pair of triples — but rather the ones they didn't hit that proved to be the difference.

SMU used a pair of lead-off walks to spark a pair of two-run innings as the Cardinals avenged a 10-4 loss to the Pioneers on Friday with a 5-1 victory.

The Cardinals weren't about to wait for any free passes in the second game, as SMU opened three of the five innings they scored in with a hit, and rode the three-hit, complete-game pitching of Aric Kittleson (Prescott, Wis.) to an 8-0 victory.

"We played much better today," said SMU coach Nick Whaley, whose team had lost to the Pioneers 10-4 on Friday. "We hit the ball, we played solid defense and our pitchers did a phenomenal job."

Phenomenal might not do the SMU pitchers justice.

First-game starter Chuck Wright (Winona, Minn.) cruised through the first five innings, allowing just four hits and five baserunners. Wright ran into a little trouble in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with one out. An error by Matt Domarus (Woodbury, Minn.) in right allowed the Pioneers first run to score, and chased Wright. Nick Steig (Osseo, Wis.) came on in relief, getting a pop-out and a strikeout to end the threat.

Kittleson did Wright one better, allowing just three singles — one in the second, one in the fourth and one in the seventh — while facing just 24 batters. The junior right-hander set the Pioneers down in order in five of the seven innings, and did not allow a runner past second base.

"Pitcher did a great job of setting the tone today," said SMU pitching coach Benji Huegel. "They attacked the hitters, and forced them to put the ball in play, which allowed our defense to make the plays — which they did.

"Getting out to a big lead, actually makes it tougher for our pitchers, but our guys did a nice job of staying focused and concentrating on playing it one batter at a time."

In the first game, Greg Sears (Webster, Minn.) opened the Cardinals' second with a walk, moved to third on Rob Kimlinger's (Lake Elmo, Minn.) double to deep center, and scored on a ground out by Sho Sugiako (Kitakyushu, Japan). Domarus struck out looking for the second out, and after Troy Deden (Northfield, Minn.) walked, Dan Cosgrove (South St. Paul, Minn.) singled to center to score Kimlinger.

Things started out in the exact same fashion in the Cardinals' third, as Tony Cicalello (St. Paul, Minn.) led off with a walk and moved to second on a single by Matt Rink (Rochester, Minn.). A Sears' sacrifice moved the runners to second and third, and a sacrifice fly by Kimlinger and a balk by UW-Platteville pitcher Eric Fields pushed SMU's lead to 4-0.

SMU came out swinging in the second game, opening the top of the first with back-to-back doubles from Ryan Majerus (St. Charles, Minn.) and Cicalello. A sacrifice fly by Sugioka scored Cicalello, as the Cardinals grabbed a 2-0 first-inning advantage.

SMU added another run in the third as Cicalello drove in Majerus, who had led off with a triple. Majerus finished with three hits in five at-bats, while Cicalello was 4-for-4 with three RBIs and a pair of runs scored.

The Cardinals put the game out of reach in the fifth as Sugiako belted his first career home run, a three-run shot over the right-center field fence. SMU added solo runs in the sixth and seventh to seal the win, its second straight.

"It was good to see us bounce back and play more like the way we are capable," said Whaley, whose team improved to 4-3 overall and closes out its southern trip Sunday against Carleton. "We did a nice job."