ST. PETER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's baseball team found itself playing catch-up all afternoon in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Gustavus.
And no matter how hard they tried, catching up just wasn't in the cards.
Gustavus raced out to a 7-0 lead in taking the opener, 7-2, before dealing the Cardinals a second straight setback in Game 2 — this time plating the game's first five runs in an 8-3 Gustie victory.
GAME 1: LATE RALLY NOT ENOUGH
The Cardinals struggled to get into an offensive rhythm in the opener — and the Gusties took advantage.
Thanks in large part to Bryce Novak.
Gustavus scored twice in the third inning on back-to-back home runs by Bryce Novak and Jack Hanson — and Novak was just getting warmed up. The junior belted a two-run home run in the fourth, and added an RBI double as part of GAC's three-run fifth, as the Gusties grabbed a commanding 7-0 advantage.
Saint Mary's finally got its offense on track in the seventh, loading the bases with no one out.
Brandon Merfeld (La Crosse, Wis.) plated the Cardinals' first run with a bases-loaded walk, and pinch-hitter
Bob Tilot (Pulaski, Wis.) drove in the other with an RBI ground-out — but that would be the extent of the Cardinals' offensive punch.
The Cardinals managed just four hits off three Gustavus pitchers, with
Daniel Marxen (Maple Grove, Minn.),
Mason Coyle (Madison, Wis.),
Will Boeckman (Big Lake, Minn.), and
Ben Coons (Kimberly, Wis.) all collecting singles.
GAME 2: MORE OF THE SAME
The Gusties once again grabbed the upper hand early, scoring once in the first and four more times in the fourth to take a 5-0 advantage.
Saint Mary's began to chip away at the GAC lead in the top of the fifth — scoring a pair of unearned runs to cut the gap to 5-2 — but the Gusties answered in their half of the inning, as Nick Azar launched a solo home run to make it 6-2.
Trevon VanEgtern (La Crosse, Wis.) joined the home run brigade with a solo bomb in the top of the eighth — his fourth round-tripper of the season — only to have Hanson deliver his second HR of the day, a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth, to give GAC a five-run, 8-3 cushion.
VanEgtern collected three of the Cardinals' five hits in Game 2, going 3-for-4 with a home run and a run scored, while
Tyler O'Brien (Belle Plaine, Minn.) and
Tanner Bauman (Willmar, Minn.) recorded SMU's other two hits.
The Cardinals (7-7 MIAC, 15-16 overall) are back in action on Wednesday, when they close out the home portion of their schedule with a 2:30 p.m. conference doubleheader against Saint John's.
