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NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Saint Mary's University baseball
Nick Winecke probably wished he were Aladdin Saturday afternoon, because the first-year head coach certainly would have had no trouble rubbing the magic lamp and asking for his three wishes to be granted.
Wish One: Take away Carleton's three-run fourth inning in Game 1.
Wish Two: Take away the Knights' three-run sixth inning in Game 1.
Wish Three: Take away Carleton's six-run first inning in Game 2.
Unfortunately for Winecke, there was no magic lamp, and those three high-scoring Knight innings would not go up in smoke, as Carleton used those two three-run innings to beat SMU 6-1 in their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener, then plated those six first-inning runs en route to a sweep-clinching 7-2 victory in Game 2.
Gary Seifert (Prescott, Wis.) and Carleton starter Ethan Guevin were locked in a pitcher's duel through the first three innings, before the Knights — with the aid of a two-out SMU error and a pair of singles — scored three times in the bottom of the fourth to take a 3-0 advantage.
The Cardinals cut the gap to 3-1 on a
Zach Olberding (Maplewood, Minn.) RBI single in the fifth, but the Knights put together their second three-run inning of the afternoon in the sixth to seal the win.
The Knights didn't even let SMU starter
Jack Dwyer (Minneapolis, Minn.) get out of the first inning — again thanks in part to an SMU error — sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring six times (four earned) to take complete control of the nightcap.
Both of the Cardinals' runs came in the fifth on a two-out double down the right-field line by
Jake Lechner (Shoreview, Minn.). It was one of just four hits allowed by Carleton pitcher Alex Wirta in Game 2 — and the only extra-base hit among SMU's 10 hits in the doubleheader.
The Cardinals, who fall to 0-10 in the MIAC and 4-18 overall, return to action Monday, stepping out of conference play when they travel to Decorah, Iowa for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Luther.
