Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score

PHOENIX, Ariz. — The Saint Mary's University baseball team would have done the late great Yogi Berra proud Sunday afternoon, as the Cardinals enjoyed a real-life, “never-over-until-it's over” moment in the first game of their nonconference doubleheader against SUNY-New Paltz.

The Cardinals scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning — including the final two with two out — en route to an 11-10 come-from-behind victory over the Hawks.

SMU went the more traditional route in the second game, getting a complete-game pitching performance from Andy Pass (Roseville, Minn.) and leading from start to finish in posting a sweep-clinching 6-2 victory.

“It was a great day of baseball,” said SMU coach Nick Winecke, whose team posted its first sweep of the young season in improving its record to 3-6 overall — including 3-4 during its seven-game spring trip. “We swung the bats well and we never stopped battling. That first game was a rollercoaster, and it would have been easy for us to get down on ourselves — but we didn't. We hung in there and battled, and came through with some big hits when we needed them in the seventh.”

The Cardinals raced out to a 3-0 first-inning lead in the opener, hitting for the cycle with a single (by Chris Bogie (St. Paul, Minn.)), a double (by Andrew Warren (Stillwater, Minn.)), a triple (by Kyle Ryan (St. Paul, Minn.)) and a two-run home run (by Zach Olberding (Maplewood, Minn.)).

The three-run cushion lasted less than three outs, however, as SUNY-New Paltz responded with five runs in the top of the second to take a 5-3 advantage. SMU regained the lead with three urns in the third, then padded its advantage to 8-5 on RBI singles by Joe Krause (St. James, Minn.) and Olberding in the fourth.

SUNY-New Paltz put together its second five-run inning of the afternoon in the sixth, sending 11 batters to the plate in regaining the lead, 10-8.

Bogie got SMU to within one, 10-9, when he and Curt Swenson (Woodbury, Minn.) delivered back-to-back one-out doubles. SUNY-New Paltz reliever Clinton Boettcher induced a pop-out to second for the second out, but an Alex Schmidt (La Crosse, Wis.) double scored pinch runner Tyler Kruse (Minneapolis, Minn.) with the game-tying run, and Jake Lechner (Shoreview, Minn.) delivered SMU's fourth double of the inning, scoring pinch-runner Daniel Geraghty (Maplewood, Minn.) with the game-winning run.

“It was a crazy game, but what impressed me most is we never threw in the towel,” Winecke said. “We talk all the time about making the most of every out — and the way we played that seventh inning proved that point. We made the most of our last out.”

The Cardinals made the most of a brilliant pitching performance in Game 2, as Pass held the Hawks to five hits and one earned runs in posting the team's first complete-game pitching performance of the season.

SMU gave the senior left-hander all the run support he would need in the top of the first, scoring four times — highlighted by a two-run single by Warren. SUNY-New Paltz cut the gap to two with two runs in the fifth, but SMU answered in the top of the sixth, getting a two-run double from Krause to seal the win.

“Overall, I'm happy with what we did,” said Winecke. “I thought we had better at-bats as the week went on, which was good to see. We weren't as solid defensively as I would like, but that's going to come. Pitching, we were a bit inconsistent, but I think we are much better now than we were last year at this time.

“This was a great trip for us.”