Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score

MOORHEAD, Minn. — If asked to put into words the season his team had just been through, Saint Mary's University baseball coach Nick Whaley wouldn't have to think very hard — or say very much.

In fact, the Cardinals' head coach could sum up the 2006 season in four words: "Game 1 against Concordia."

The Cardinals out hit the Cobbers, got a complete-game pitching performance from David Reiter (Elgin, Minn.), battled back from a 6-2 deficit to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning — and lost.

So went SMU's game against the Cobbers Wednesday afternoon — and so went the Cardinals' season.

"That first game was a tough one to lose, especially considering how hard these guys battled," said SMU coach Nick Whaley, who could only watch as Brian Schumacher reached on a throwing error in the bottom of the seventh and scored on an RBI double by Scott Halupzok to lift the Cobbers to an 8-7 Game 1 win, then saw his Cardinals come out on the short end of a 5-2 decision in the nightcap. "It's tough to end your season with two losses, but I'm proud of the way the guys played.

"They could have easily come into these games and just went through the motions — especially after falling behind (6-2) in that first game. But they didn't, they stuck with it and almost pulled it out."

Almost.

SMU, which scored single runs in the first and fourth — the first on an RBI single by Dan Cosgrove (South St. Paul, Minn.) and the second on Cosgrove's second home run of the season — began its comeback in the sixth, scoring three times to make it a 6-5 ball game.

The Cobbers padded their lead to two, 7-5 with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Cardinals weren't finished — not by a long shot.,

Cosgrove delivered his third RBI, a double to left, and pinch-hitter Nick Winecke (St. Paul, Minn.) added an RBI single to right to tie the game with no one out. A walk to Brandon Haugh (Easton, Minn.) loaded the bases, but SMU could not plate the go-ahead run, as Cobber reliever Matt Venturini got a strike out and a ground ball double play to end the threat.

"We had our share of chances, and we certainly put ourselves in position to win in both games," said Whaley, whose team fell behind 3-0 after the first inning of Game 2, and couldn't produce enough offense to complete the comeback — getting a solo home run from Winecke in the third and an RBI sacrifice fly from Reiter in the sixth. "It's been like that all season, we've gotten some great pitching performances, but our offense would struggle; or we'd hit the ball well, and struggle on the mound or in the field.

"We were just never able to put it all together for an extended period of time," continued Whaley, whose team closed out its season with a 2-18 MIAC record and a 6-28 mark, dropping its last nine games — including a pair of losses (9-4 and 9-3) to Hamline on Tuesday.. "Our main goal heading into these final games was to go out and try to get better with every at-bat, and I think we did that.

"We're not that far away — in fact, despite our record, we're a lot closer than people may think."