By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
CAROL STREAM, Ill. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota baseball team could not buy a clutch hit in its first game of the day Friday—stranding 14 runners on base in falling to Aurora 4-0.
 
The Cardinals were able to come through in the clutch in their second game against Wheaton (Ill.)—just not enough times.
 
Saint Mary's grabbed leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but the Thunder scored the game's final two runs—one in the seventh to tie the game at 2-2, and another in the bottom of the eighth—to deal the Cardinals a 3-2 nonconference setback.
 
"It was just one of those days," said Saint Mary's coach Nick Winecke. "We just couldn't seem to get a clutch hit when we needed it. It was a tough day of baseball."
 
Zach Slowiak (Chippewa Falls, Wis.) kicked off the Cardinals' fourth with a one-out walk and moved to third on a Will Matthews' (Geneva, Ill.) single and a Thunder throwing error. Matthews promptly stole second, and Slowiak scored the Cardinals' first run of the day on the play, when Wheaton shortstop Jesse Welch could not handle the throw.
 
Wheaton did not waste any time pulling even, taking advantage of a lead-off walk to Ben Brittain, and a one-out RBI single by Seth Meyer to knot the game at 1-1 through four innings.
 
After a scoreless fifth, Saint Mary's regained the lead, getting an RBI single by Slowiak to score Matthew Piechowski (Hutchinson, Minn.), who opened the inning with a single, stole second and moved to third on a Justin Weinberg (Eagan, Minn.) groundout.
 
Saint Mary's would maintain its one-run advantage until the seventh, when Wheaton's Clay Morrison belted a one-out triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacob Garrity to knot the game at 2-2.
 
Wheaton then took the lead for good in the eighth, loading the bases on a hit batsman, walk, and a single—and plating the game-winning run on a run-scoring walk to Johnny Peltz.
 
The Cardinals were limited to just four hits—one each from Piechowski, Slowiak, Joe Seegers (Oconomowoc, Wis.), and Will Matthews (Geneva, Ill.).
 
James Green (East Bethel, Minn.) went the first seven innings on the mound for the Cardinals, allowing two runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out two. Jake Kramlinger (White Bear Lake, Minn.) took the loss, failing to retire a batter—walking one and hitting another—with Tyler Stilp (Lindstrom, Minn.) going the final inning.
 
The Cardinals (4-8 overall) are back at Lee Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream, Ill., on Saturday, squaring off against Alma in an 11 a.m. nine-inning contest.