By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University baseball team entered its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against league-leading Gustavus knowing exactly what it needed to do if the Cardinals were to earn a post-season invitation.
 
And all coach Nick Winecke can say is, "Better late than never."
 
The Cardinals — needing one win against Gustavus to lock up one of the four MIAC Tournament berths — came through in the clutch, scoring four times in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Gusties 7-3 in Game 2 of their two-game showdown at Max Molock Field.
 
Gustavus took advantage of four Saint Mary's errors, scoring seven times in the third inning en route to a 14-2 victory in the opener — forcing the Cardinals' backs to the wall and setting up the must-win Game 2.
 
"The No. 1 characteristic of this team is toughness," said Winecke. "We have been in so many close games this season that everyone understands and trusts each other — knowing that we are going to get the job done in the end.
 
"For us to play arguably our worst game in the last two years in the first game today, and then go out and perform the way we did in the second game, that really says a lot about this team," added Winecke, whose team will opening conference tournament play next Thursday at CHS Field in St. Paul, Minn. "It was an exciting day of baseball, and I'm so happy for these guys — they really came up big when we needed it most."
 
The Cardinals certainly got off on the right foot in the opener — scoring once in each of their first two at-bats.
 
But from there, things seemed to spiral out of control — in a hurry.
 
Saint Mary's jumped on GAC starter Adam Stockwell in the first, loading the bases on three straight singles by Justin Weinberg (Eagan, Minn.), Matthew Piechowski (Hutchinson, Minn.), and Andy Tepp (Stevens Point, Wis.). A Stockwell wild pitch scored Weinberg with the game's first run, but the GAC right-hander struck out the next three batters to end the inning.
 
Gustavus plated its first run in the second — getting a pair of hits and a sacrifice fly by Dexter Leer — but the Cardinals answered in their half of the second, as Bailey Melz (Excelsior, Minn.) led off the Cardinal second with a single, moved to second on a one-out groundout, and scored on Weinberg's two-out single to right to give Saint Mary's a 2-1 lead.
 
The Gusties got to Cardinal starter Eli Morison (Minneapolis Minn.) for seven runs on six hits — while also taking advantage of four Cardinal errors — in the top of the third to take a 8-2 advantage.
 
After a scoreless fourth, Gustavus added to its lead, loading the bases with no one out via a pair of walks and a hit batsman. A balk plated one run, a groundout to first by Brice Panning scored another, and Carter Clemensen's RBI single scored the Gusties' third run of the inning.
 
But GAC wasn't done, as the Gusties re-loaded the bases, and a two-run single by Sam Archer plated their fourth and fifth runs of the inning to push the Gustavus lead to 13-2. The Gusties would add a solo run in the top of the sixth to round out the scoring.
 
Weinberg and Will Matthews (Geneva, Ill.) each had two hits to pace the Cardinals' Game 1 offensive attack.
 
The Cardinals struck first again in the nightcap, breaking a scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Tepp, scoring Piechowski, who reached on a fielder's choice and stole second.
 
As was the case in the opener, however, the Cardinal lead did not last long, as Gustavus answered their third-inning run with a run of its own in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Matt Berkner.
 
After failing to convert on a one-out double by Matthews in the sixth, the Cardinals got the clutch hit when they needed it in the seventh. Zach Drake (Westby, Wis.) laced Saint Mary's second straight one-out double, and Weinberg followed with a stand-up RBI triple to deep right-center. Piechowski then lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score Weinberg and give Saint Mary's a 3-1 lead.
 
Gustavus welcomed Cardinal reliever James Green (East Bethel, Minn.) — making his first-ever relief appearance — with back-to-back singles to open the eighth. After a balk moved the runners to second and third — and Green struck out Clemensen for the first out — Berkner delivered a two-run single to right to knot the game at 3-3.
 
Not to be denied that invitation to the conference's post-season dance, the Cardinals quickly answered in their half of the eighth.
 
Matthews laced his second straight double to open the inning, and came around to score on an infield single by Hunter Gustafson (Webster, Wis.) and a throwing error by GAC reliever Damon Rademacher. Jacob French (Winona, Minn.) was hit by a pitch and Tyler O'Brien (Hartland, Wis.) singled to load the bases. An RBI single by Joey Costello (Victoria, Minn.) and a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Connor Cornell (Owatonna, Minn.) pushed the Saint Mary's lead to 6-3, and — after Weinberg flew out for the second out — Piechowski belted a run-scoring single to give Saint Mary's a four-run cushion heading into the top of the ninth.
 
And four runs was more than enough for Jake Kramlinger (White Bear Lake, Minn.), the Cardinals' fourth pitcher of the game, as the senior struck out two of the three batters he faced to preserve the win — and send the Cardinals into the post-season.
 
Weinberg finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while Matthews posted his second straight two-hit game and Piechowski drove in a pair of runs.
 
The Cardinals, who closed out their conference schedule with a 12-8 record, return to Max Molock Field on Sunday, hosting Coe in a pair of nonconference games. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.