AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Pitchers continued to steal the spotlight for the Saint Mary's University baseball team during the second day of their spring trip.
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Timmy Smith (South St. Paul, Minn.) and two relivers scattered nine hits, while allowing just two runs in leading the Cardinals to their first win of 2023, a 3-2 victory over Milwaukee School of Engineering Monday morning.
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After managed just two runs in 14 innings against Franklin on Sunday — and coming up empty in their first three at-bats against MSOE — the Cardinals finally struck in the fourth, scoring a pair of runs on three hits — including an RBI double by
Patrick Schork (Janesville, Wis.) and a run-scoring, pinch-hit single by
Jack Arndt (Coon Rapids, Minn.).
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The two-run cushion did not last long, however, as the Engineers tagged Smith (South St. Paul, Minn.) for a pair of runs in their half of the fifth to knot the game at 2-2.
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The game would remain deadlocked until the bottom of the eighth, when the Cardinals took the lead for good.
Trevon VanEgtern (La Crosse, Wis.) opened the inning with a single, moved to second on a walk to
Riley Bauman (Stratford, Wis.), advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored the game-winning run on a
Daniel Marxen (Maple Grove, Minn.) sacrifice fly to right.
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MSOE threatened in the top of the ninth, getting a runner to third with two outs, but
Eric Charest (Blaine, Minn.) induced a game-ending pop-out to short to seal the SMU win — and his first collegiate save.
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Smith picked up his first win of the season, allowing two runs on seven hits through five innings.
Eric Stomberg blanked the Engineers on one hit in three innings of relief, while Charest surrendered one ninth-inning hit in his one inning of work.
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Brandon Merfeld (La Crosse, Wis.) paced the Cardinals' eight-hit attack, going 2-for-4, while VanEgtern, Bauman, Schork, Arndt,
Cameron Weber (Holmen, Wis.), and
Cam Miller (Kimberly, Wis.) all chipped in one hit.
The Cardinals (1-2 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, squaring off against the University of Dubuque in a nine-inning game at 11 a.m. (EST) in Auburndale, Fla.
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