MINNETONKA, Minn. — After what was an uncharacteristically sloppy game against Bethel in an 11-8 loss to the Royals in their opening game of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota baseball coach
Nick Winecke wanted nothing more than another shot at the Royals.
And thanks in part to a three-hit pitching gem from
Steph Scatassa (Westchester, Ill.) — not to mention a pair of solo home runs off the bats of
Kevin Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) and
Kevin Miley (St. Paul, Minn.) — in a 3-0 win-or-go-home elimination-game victory over Saint John's earlier in the day Saturday, the Cardinals head coach got his wish.
Unfortunately, the teams' second meeting in less than 24 hours didn't fare any better for the Cardinals, as Bethel scored six unanswered runs — erasing an early, 2-0 first-inning Saint Mary's lead, and handing SMU a season-ending 7-4 setback.
The Cardinals came out swinging against Bethel starter Tyler Heitman, sending eight batters to the plate in the first — scoring two runs on four hits.
Willie Doll (Amherst, Wis.) opened the game with a single and moved to third on
Paul LaNasa's (Mahtomedi, Minn.) double to left-center.
Kevin Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) induced a walk to load the bases and
Ben Buerkle (Roseville, Minn.) laced an RBI single to right, scoring Doll and keeping the bases full. Heitman got
Jon Schlemmer (De Pere, Wis.) and
Kevin Miley (St. Paul, Minn.) to strike out looking for the first two outs of the inning, but Saint Mary's wasn't done, as
Tyler Lursen (Maple Grove, Minn.) pounded a single through the left side to plate LaNasa with the Cardinals' second run.
Bethel's bats came to life in the second, as the Royals tagged SMU starter
Ben Dobosenski (Westmont, Ill.) with five straight hits to score three runs and take its first lead of the game, 3-2.
The Cardinals let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers in the third, collecting three hits off Heitman — but failing to score. Gannon led off with a single, only to be thrown out trying to steal second. Buerkle doubled to deep right for his second hit of the game and moved to third on a Schlemmer single. There they would stay, however, as Miley struck out and Lursen grounded out to short to end the threat.
Dobosenski, who was settling in nicely after that rocky second inning, was hit in the foot by a liner off the bat of Jared Watts with one out in the fourth and forced the leave the game.
Jacob Dawson (Oakdale, Minn.) came out of the pen and got Nik Anderson to ground out back to the mound for the second out, but Logan Lisle followed with an RBI single to left to push the Royal lead to 4-2.
Saint Mary's threatened in the sixth inning — only to come up empty once again. Miley launched a one-out double and
Taylor Thelemann (Bloomington, Minn.) — one of the heroes in the Cardinals' 3-0 win over Saint John's earlier in the day — added a two-out infield single to put runners on first and third, only to have Heitman get
David Barry (Apple Valley, Minn.) to ground out to third and keep it a two-run BU advantage.
After dodging a Cardinal bullet in the top of the sixth, the Royals cashed in the bottom, scoring on a wild pitch and a bloop RBI single by Bryce Marquardt to push their lead to four, 6-2.
Saint Mary's ended a five-inning scoreless drought with a solo run in the seventh, as Doll opened the seventh with his second single of the game, stole second — his single-season school-record 23rd steal of the season — moved to third on a LaNasa groundout and scored easily on a double by Gannon.
As if trying to scratch and claw their way back from their eighth-inning, three-run deficit wasn't tough enough, Mother Nature decided to get her two cents worth in — halting the game with one out in the top of the eighth and the Cardinals threatening.
Lursen clubbed a one-out single and Thelemann followed with a single to right to put runners first and third — only to have rain and lightning halt the game.
After a one hour and 16 minute rain/lightning delay, the Cardinals picked up where they left off, scoring their second run in as many innings on a Barry RBI fielder's choice that scored Lursen from third to make it a 6-4 game.
The Royals quickly pushed their lead back to three, 7-4, in the bottom of the eighth, however, as Lisle led off the frame with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Marquardt.
Saint Mary's had the heart of its order up in the ninth against Royal reliever Joe Zorn, and Gannon was hit with a pitch to open the inning. Zorn, however, got Buerkle and Schlemmer to strike out swinging, and Miley to ground out to first to end the threat — and the Cardinals' season.
The Cardinals banged out 14 hits — including at least one hit from eight of their nine starters. Doll had three hits in five at-bats, while Gannon, Buerkle, Lursen and Thelemann all had two hits.
