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WINONA, Minn. — The date was the nearly same, but, unfortunately for the Saint Mary's University baseball team, the end result wasn't.

Flashback to March 25, 2000 — the last time the Cardinals hosted a nonconference game at Max Molock Field. SMU proved to be the ungracious host, pounding visiting Northwestern in a 13-1, 3-0 nonconference sweep.

Fast-forward to March 26, 2009.

The Cardinals, who played their entire 2008 season on the road due to the renovations at “The Max,” unveiled their new digs Thursday, only to have Viterbo be a rather unruly guest, as the V-Hawks used a second-inning grand slam to beat the Cardinals 7-2 in the opener, then completed the sweep with a six-run first inning en route to a 10-8 victory.

“It's disappointing to lose two games like that, but it was nice to actually be home — on our own field — for a change,” said SMU coach Nick Winecke, whose team had its three-game winning streak snapped with the back-to-back losses. “The field is in great shape, and for us to be on it this early in the season, it's just awesome.”

Too bad the Cardinal head coach couldn't say the same for his team's performance.

The Cardinals had base runners in five of the seven innings in the opener, but hit into three double plays and managed just single runs in the first and fifth innings.

“We made some mistakes (in the first game) that (Viterbo) made us pay for,” said Winecke, noting that a hit batsman, a walk and a pitch left out over the plate led to Bobby Raasch's second-inning grand slam. “Walks and hit batters have been out Achilles' heel all spring, and they came back to haunt us again.”

The Cardinals actually got on the board first on a first-inning RBI single byAndrew Warren (Stillwater, Minn.), but the V-Hawks plated the next seven runs, before Robbie Johnson (Lake Elmo, Minn.) laced a single to center to account for the Cardinals' second run.

Viterbo greeted SMU starter Chris Bogie (St. Paul, Minn.) with six straight singles to open Game 2, as the V-Hawks raced out to a 6-0 advantage in their first at-bat.

The Cardinals battled back, however, scoring three times in the second on a bases-clearing double by Tyler Kruse (Minneapolis, Minn.), then added two more runs in the third on a two-run single by Ryan Archambault (Fairibault, Minn.).

Viterbo plated a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to make it 8-5, but SMU responded with three runs of its own in the bottom of the inning — one on an RBI double by Kyle Ryan (St. Paul, Minn.) and the other two on a two-run single by right by Warren.

The V-Hawks regained the lead with single runs in the fifth and sixth, but this time the Cardinals did not have an answer, as SMU fell to 4-8 overall with the losses.

“I was very happy with the way we swung the bats,” said Winecke, who got seven hits from seven different players in the opener, then got a 3-for-4, 3 RBI performance from Kruse to pace a nine-hit attack in Game 2. “But we didn't execute in key situations in either game, and that's what cost us.”

The Cardinals open Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Friday, traveling to the Metrodome for a 4 p.m. doubleheader vs. Augsburg as part of the two-day, MIAC Baseball Showcase.