MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Saint Mary's University baseball coach
Nick Winecke doesn't have an explanation, but there's something about the first game of a doubleheader that brings out the best in his Cardinals.\
For the second straight day, SMU opened its nonconference doubleheader with a shutout victory, and for the second straight day, it was a seven-hit effort.
Unlike last Wednesday's complete-game seven-hitter by
Andrew Ruf (Chippewa Falls, Wis.), Monday's was a combined effort, as
Brett Ferschweiler (Rochester, Minn.) and
David Dahlstrom (Rochester, Minn.) teamed up to blank Indiana University Northwest in Game 1 of their twinbill at the Metrodome.
And, unlike last Wednesday, the Cardinals also completed what they started, as SMU outlasted the RedHawks 2-1 in 10 innings.
“It's great to come away with two wins,” said SMU coach Nick WInecke. “Game 2 wasn't pretty, but we got the job done. Give (IUNW) credit, they played a great game with only freshmen and sophomores. But again, we got two wins, and that's the positive.”
Ferschweiler went the first five innings in the opener, scattering four hits and fanning six, while Dahlstrom worked the final two innings, allowing three singles and striking out three.
SMU scored all the runs it would need in the first inning as
Kyle Ryan (St. Paul, Minn.) led off with a single and scored on a triple by
John Swenson (Eagan, Minn.). Swenson would then score on a
Zach Olberding (Maplewood, Minn.) groundout.
The Cardinals were finally able to pad their lead to 6-0 in the fifth, taking advantage of a passed ball and two RedHawk errors to score four times. Two more IUNW errors in the fifth gave SMU its final run of the opening game.
In the nightcap, it was the RedHawks who got on the board first, lacing back-to-back singles off SMU starter
Teddy VanRanst (St. Paul, Minn.) in the bottom of the second to take a 1-0 advantage.
After failing to score in the top of the fourth – leaving the bases loaded after a hit batsman and back-to-back walks – the Cardinals finally got on the board in the fifth, as
Jake Lechner (Shoreview, Minn.) collected SMU's first hit of the game, stole second, moved to third on a throwing error and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Ryan. A walk, single up the middle by Olberding and a RedHawk error loaded the bases, but for the second inning in a row, SMU left the bases loaded – and the game tied, 1-1.
IUNW threatened in the bottom of the seventh, as Josh Santiago opened the RedHawks' seventh with a double to left-center, and, after intentionally walking Ethan Arway, a failed pickoff attempt moved the IUNW runners to second and third. A second intentional walk of the inning loaded the bases, but relief pitcher
Casey Jacobson (Apple Valley, Minn.) worked out of the jam, getting a strikeout, a force-out at the plate and a ground-ball out to first to send the game into extra innings.
The Cardinals opened their half of the eighth with a lead-off double by Olberding, but was left stranded as
Chris Bogie (St. Paul, Minn.) struck out and
Andrew Warren (Stillwater, Minn.) lined into an inning-ending double play.
SMU finally broke through in the top of the 10th, as
Matt Tessmer (West St. Paul, Minn.) walked, moved to third on a Bogie single to center and scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch.
Jacobson earned the pitching winning, throwing four innings of shutout relief. The sophomore right-hander allowed just one hit and struck out five.
“I thought we again got great pitching – everyone that took the mound threw well,” said Winecke, whose team moved to 3-1 heading into Sunday's final two Metrodome games against Loras. “We've still got to do a better job at the plate. We left the bases loaded twice and had several other chances when we didn't get the key hit when we needed it.
“But this season is a process, and we took another step forward today – and that's the most important thing.”
