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WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University baseball team entered Tuesday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown against Hamline having split their last four conference doubleheaders.

But after dropping the opener 6-4 and trailing 8-2 after the Pipers' half of the fifth inning in Game 2, it appeared that streak would be coming to an end — and not in a positive way.

Fortunately for the never-say-die Cardinals, things aren't always as they appear, as SMU scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game 8-8, then got a game-winning sacrifice fly off the bat of Vince Lulic (Mendota Heights, Minn.) in the bottom of the sixth to complete the 9-8, come-from-behind victory.

And their fifth straight conference split.

“This team is so resilient — if there's one thing they've proven time and time again, it's that they will never throw in the towel, no matter what the score,” said SMU coach Nick Winecke. “For them to battle back from six runs down like that, that says a lot about the character of this team.

“Hamline's a very good team, and to come a way with a split the way we did, that's a good thing.”

The Pipers didn't waste any time taking control in the first game, scoring twice in the first, once in the second and three times in the fourth to grab a 6-1 advantage.

SMU, which managed just a first-inning RBI single by Kevin Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) through the first three innings against HU starter Matt Eickman, got their offense on track in its half of the fourth, scoring four times — highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Zach Wolfe (Wabasha, Minn.) — to cut the Pipers' lead to 6-4.

That, however, would be as close as SMU would get, as Eickman set the Cardinals down in order in the fifth, sixth and seventh en route to the complete-game, five-hit victory.

Kevin Miley (St. Paul, Minn.) went 2-for-3, while Wolfe, Gannon and Kyle Servais (Westby, Wis.) collected SMU's other three hits.

Hamline was doing its early inning damage again in the nightcap, as the Pipers scored once in the first and twice in the second, and — after SMU made it a 3-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second — erupted for six runs in the top of the fifth to take what appeared to be a commanding 8-2 advantage.

In their half of the fifth, the Cardinals opened the inning with three straight walks, and after a Lulic strikeout, Gannon notched walk No. 4 to score the Cardinals' first run of the inning. Servais followed with a two-run double, Miley added a run-scoring single and a throwing error by HU catcher Mark Radmacher and a Paul LaNasa (Mahtomedi, Minn.) RBI groundout pulled the Cardinals even, 8-8.

And SMU was just getting warmed up.

Willie Doll (Amherst, Wis.) opened SMU's sixth with a pinch-hit single to left, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Matt Feriancek (River Falls, Wis.), moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Lulic's sacrifice fly to right.

Tyler Krysiak (Bloomington, Minn.), who came on in relief in the sixth, made things a bit interested in the seventh — giving up a lead-off double to Evan Cordell and a one-out walk to Jordan Buck, before getting an infield pop up and a ground out to seal the victory.

Miley finished 3-for-3 in Game 2 to close out his day 5-for-6, while Servais was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored. Krysiak, the fourth SMU pitcher, earned his second win of the season, allowing just one hit in two innings of work.

The Cardinals (5-7 MIAC, 14-13 overall) are back in action on Thursday — weather permitting — hosting Macalester in a 2:30 p.m. MIAC doubleheader at Max Molock Field.