Game 1 Box Score / Game 2 Box Score / GameDay

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — It wasn't quite the way Saint Mary's University baseball coach Nick Winecke was hoping his Cardinals would kick off of the 2009 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season.

But, despite the 7-5, 6-5 losses to Augsburg Friday evening at the HHH Metrodome, Winecke was able to find a silver lining.

“We just played two conference games, against a very good team, and we were in position to win both games — we were a play or a hit away winning two games, instead of losing two games,” said Winecke, whose team was swept for the second straight day, having dropped back-to-back games to Viterbo on Thursday. “It's disappointing to come away with two losses, but I was happy with our performance — we had a chance to win both games, we just didn't come up with the key hit we needed.”

The Cardinals entered the top of the seventh inning boasting a 4-3 advantage, but Winecke could only sit by and watch as the Auggies drew a lead-off walk in the top of the second, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly by Craig Henry.

The Auggies then completed their come-from-behind win, scoring three times in the top of the eighth inning, while SMU could only answer with a solo run on a Brandon Haugh (Easton, Minn.) single in the bottom half of the eighth.

Augsburg wasted little time grabbing the lead in the nightcap, taking a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning, where the Cardinals decided to make things interesting, collecting four runs — including two on a two-run triple by Haugh — to cut the deficit to 6-5.

SMU relief pitcher Brett Ferschweiller (Rochester, Minn.) worked out of a first-and-second, no-out jam in the top of the seventh, but SMU left the tying run stranding at second base.

“We had our chances,” said Winecke, who got 3-for-4 performances from Haugh — who also drove in four runs — and Kyle Ryan (St. Paul, Minn.) in Game 1, while five different players accounted for SMU's five hits in the nightcap. “It was one of those days where we couldn't seem to get that key hit when we needed it most.

“We were in both games — we put ourselves in position to win both games — we just weren't able to get the job done.”