By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
CAROL STREAM, Ill. — After scoring just two runs—and leaving 18 runners on base in their two nine-inning games on Friday—the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota baseball changed that trend Saturday.
 
In a big way.
 
The Cardinals erupted for six runs—all with two outs—in rallying from a 3-2 fifth-inning deficit to drop Alma 10-5 at Lee Pfund Stadium.
 
"We were much better today," said Saint Mary's coach Nick Winecke. "We took advantage of some free bases and came throough with some timely hitting."

Saint Mary's wasted no time getting its offense ramped up, getting an RBI single from Zach Slowiak (Chippewa Falls, Wis.) in the top of the first to score Andy Tepp (Stevens Point, Wis.)—who collected the Cardinals' first hit of the game with a one-out single to center.
 
Alma threatened in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with two outs, but Cardinal starter Eli Morison (Minneapolis, Minn.) worked out of the jam, inducing Alex Dwan to fly out to right to end the inning.
 
The Scots finally got to Morison in the fourth, stringing three hits together—including a run-scoring infield single by Pete Carravallah, to knot the game at 1-1.
 
Three consecutive one-out singles by Dixon Irwin (Red Wing, Minn.), Joey Costello (Victoria, Minn.), Joe Seegers (Oconomowoc, Wis.) loaded the bases for Saint Mary's in the fifth, and Tepp delivered a sacrifice fly to right to put the Cardinals back on top, 2-1.
 
The lead did not last long, however, as a lead-off walk to Logan Huff and a triple by Vann Acker pulled the Scots even in their half of the fifth—and chased Morison. Josh Riggs welcomed reliever Ryan Wolfe (Wabasha, Minn.) by belting an RBI double to left to score Acker and give Alma the lead, 3-2.
 
The lead-changing continued in the sixth, as the Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs—thanks to a pair of walks and a hit batsman. Costello drew a bases-loaded walk to knot the game at 3-3. Seegers followed with an RBI single, and back-to-back-to-back walks to Tepp, Justin Weinberg (Eagan, Minn.), and Slowiak put Saint Mary's in front 7-3.
 
And the Cardinals weren't done.
 
Will Matthews (Geneva, Ill.) added a run-scoring single to right—just the Cardinals' second hit of the six-run inning—to push the Cardinals' advantage to 8-3.
 
After a quiet seventh, the Cardinals returned to their run-scoring ways in the eighth, plating a pair of run via an RBI triple by Seegers and a run-scoring single by Weinberg as the Saint Mary's lead ballooned to 10-3.
 
Alma's Matt Minaudo belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, but it was too little, too late, as the Cardinals put an end to their two-game losing streak.
 
Seegers led the Cardinals' 11-hit attack, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Costello chipped in two hits in three at-bats and scored twice, whiel Tepp, Weinberg, and Slowiak joined Seegers with two RBIs.
 
Wolfe picked up the pitching win, allowing two runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings of relief. Morison went the first 4 1/3, surrendering three runs on five hits, before giving way to Wolfe in the fifth. John Heim tossed the ninth,
 
The Cardinals (5-8 overall) are back in action next Saturday, heading to Duluth, Minn., for a nonconference doubleheader against St. Scholastica. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.