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WINONA, Minn. — A year ago, the Saint Mary's University baseball team found itself staring at seventh-inning deficits in its two regular season-ending Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games against Concordia.
And in both games, the Cardinals dug themselves out of those seventh-inning holes to beat the Cobbers 6-5 (twice).
Wednesday afternoon, the Cardinals and Cobbers were at it again, as Concordia entered the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 1 of the teams' regular-season finale with a two-run, 6-4 lead.
Unlike a year ago, however, there was not late-inning magic up the Cardinals' sleeves, as Concordia kept SMU off the scoreboard in its final at-bat en route to the 6-4 victory.
The teams returned to their seventh-inning, come-from-behind ways in the nightcap — only this time, it was the Cardinals who fell victim to a late rally, as Concordia scored four times in its final at-bat, erasing a two-run deficit and completing the sweep with a 7-6 victory.
“It's a tough way to end the season,” admitted SMU coach
Nick Whaley, whose Cardinals closed out their 2008 campaign with a 4-16 record in the MIAC and an 8-23 overall mark. “We were on the winning side of a couple games like this against them last year and it felt pretty good.
“It's not quite so enjoyable to be on the other end of it.”
After jumping out to a 5-3 lead in the second game with a single run in the third and four more in the fifth, the Cardinals appeared to be on cruise control — and headed to a split in their conference twinbill.
Then came the seventh.
SMU reliever
Sam Levisen (Rochester, Minn.), who held the Cobbers to just one hit in 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, gave up a lead-off single to Fred Weiss and an RBI triple to Matt Youngquist to cut the lead to 5-4. Jake Krause welcomed pitcher
David Dahlstrom (Rochester, Minn.) with an RBI double to tie the game at 5-5, and after an intentional walk to Kyle Johnson ended Dahlstrom's night, Tyler Doll welcomed the third SMU pitcher of the evening —
David Olson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) — into the game by delivering a two-run double down the left field line to give the Cobbers the lead for good.
SMU threatened in the bottom of the seventh, getting a one-out, RBI single from
Brandon Haugh (Easton, Minn.), only to leave the game-tying run stranded on third base when pinch-hitter
Ryan Archambault (Faribault, Minn.) lined into a short-to-first double play.
After spotting Concordia a 3-0 lead in the nightcap, SMU scored an unearned run in the third, before erupting for four more in the fifth.
Alex Schmidt (La Crosse, Wis.) led off the Cardinal fifth with a double and
David Krieger (Mendota Heights, Minn.) — one of six seniors playing in their final collegiate game — followed with an infield single to put runners at the corners.
Kevin Black (Mahtomedi, Minn.) then delivered a two-run triple to deep center, before #Kyle Ryan (St. Paul, Minn.) and
Brady Knudsen (Racine, Wis.) followed with back-to-back RBI singles to give the Cardinals the 5-3 advantage.
The Cobbers got on the board first in the opener, taking advantage of a one-out balk by SMU starter
Gary Seifert (Prescott, Wis.) to score Nick Lewis from third base.
SMU erased the one-run deficit inn the second, as
Brandon Haugh (Easton, Minn.) doubled,
Robbie Johnson (Lake Elmo, Minn.) drew a one-out walk, and Schmidt
delivered his first home run of the season — a towering shot over the wall in right-center.
The Cobbers regained the lead, 4-3, with a three-run inning of their own in the top of the fourth, but SMU pulled even in their half, as Krieger laced an RBI single to left.
Coincordia took the lead for good in the seventh, scoring two runs on three hits off Cardinal reliver
Willy Shetka (West St. Paul, Minn.) to ice the victory.
