Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A year ago, the Saint Mary's University baseball team was involved in 14 one-run games — winning seven and losing seven.

This season, the Cardinals have found themselves involved in seven one-run games — including both games of Tuesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against league-leading St. Thomas.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they are 1-6 in those one-run games.

St. Thomas used a one-out double by Jordan Roering in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Cardinals 1-0. There was more nail-biting in the nightcap, as UST needed a bases-loaded single by Sean Young in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat SMU 2-1.

In the opener, the Cardinals managed just one hit — a fourth-inning bunt single by Ryan Majerus (St. Charles, Minn.) — off UST pitcher Sean Lindstrom, who went all nine innings, walking three and striking out six.

Matt Buzzell opened the Tommies' ninth with a walk off SMU reliever Nick Steig (Osseo, Wis.), who came on in the sixth inning in relief of starter Eric Williamson (St. Charles, Minn.). After Buzzell stole second and Steig notched a strikeout for out No. 1, Whaley went to his bullpen, bringing on Jesse Pedersen (St. Charles, Minn.) to face Roering, who welcomed the sophomore right-hander with a game-winning RBI double to deep right-center.

It was more of the same in the nightcap, as UST jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI single by Buzzell. SMU responded with its only run of the doubleheader in the fifth, as Dan Cosgrove (South St. Paul, Minn.) delivered a two-out single, socring Tony Cicalello (St. Paul, Minn.) from second.

SMU threatened in the top of the seventh, putting the go-ahead run on second base with no one out. But UST's Brian Krause got back-to-back strikeouts, and, after walking Pat Gornick (West St. Paul, Minn.), got Sho Sugioka (Kitakyushu, Japan) to hit into a fielder's choice force-out to end the threat.

In the Tommies' seventh, Roering singles to left and moved to second when SMU pitcher Cory Kanz (Oronoco, Minn.) threw wildly to second on Eric Maurestler's bunt. With runners on first and second and no one out, Mike Kimlinger bunted for a single in front of third base to load the bases and Young followed with an RBI single past the drawn in outfield to send the Tommies to their 16th win in their last 17 games — while sending the Cardinals to their fourth straight loss.

And on the brink of playoff elimination.

The Cardinals dropped to 5-7 in the MIAC (10-12 overall) with four MIAC doubleheaders remaining — today at home against St. Olaf, Saturday at home against Bethel, at Carleton on Sunday and at Concordia next Tuesday.