CAROL STREAM, Ill. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota baseball team held the lead twice in its nonconference game against Calvin Saturday afternoon.
 
In other words, getting the lead wasn't the problem—holding the lead was.
 
Saint Mary's owned leads of 1-0 and 3-2 during its nine-inning contest against the Knights, but each time, Calvin had an answer—including responding to the Cardinals' game-tying run in the top of the eighth with a solo run in the bottom of the frame in dealing Saint Mary's a 6-5 setback at Lee Pfund Stadium.
 
The Cardinals got out of the gates quickly, as Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.) delivered a two-out, run-scoring single in the top of the first to give Saint Mary's a brief 1-0 lead.
 
After Calvin answered with a single run in its first at-bat—and another in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead—the Cardinals regained the advantage with two runs in the top of the fifth, highlighted by RBI singles from Will Matthews (Geneva, Ill.) and Kinne.
 
But again, the Cardinal lead did not last long, as the Knights erupted for three sixth-inning runs to grab a 5-3 advantage.
 
Saint Mary's got one run back when Zach Slowiak (Chippewa Falls, Wis.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh, and Joey Costello (Victoria, Minn.) laced a single through the left side to get the Cardinals even, 5-5, in the top of the eighth.
 
Unfortunately, the Cardinals could not silence the Knights' bats in the bottom of the inning, as Mike Kempton opened with a walk, was sacrificed to second, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored on a one-out single by Jonathan Keane to give the Knights the lead for good.
 
Kinne, Matthews, and Dirk Drohner (Plover, Wis.) all had two hits for the Cardinals, with Kinne also driving in two of Saint Mary's five runs.
 
Jesse Barron (Minnetonka, Minn.) started on the mound for the Cardinals, going the first four innings, allowing two runs—neither of which were earned—on three hits. Ryan Wolfe (Wabasha, Minn.) surrendered three runs on seven hits in two innings of relief, while Austin Jacobs (Cannon Falls, Minn.) was tagged with the loss, giving up the Knights' final run on two hits in two innings of work.
 
The Cardinals (8-5 overall) are back in action on Wednesday, kicking off the home portion of their schedule with a nine-inning nonconference game against Viterbo. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Max Molock Field.