WINONA, Minn. - What a day to be a Cardinal! The Saint Mary's baseball team (5-7) clinched a thrilling home opener and completed a sweep over UW-Eau Claire (3-4). The Cardinals won game one 5-4, then sealed the victory with a walk-off in the 10th inning, finishing 4-3 in game two.
 
GAME ONE
 
Addison Hochevar got his first win as a pitcher this season pitching six innings with five strikeouts and allowing just four hits. Daniel Sherman contributed offensively with two doubles and two runs scored to lead the team.
 
Connor Tulley recorded his first career save on the mound.
 
Saint Mary's opened the game with a strong first inning, scoring two runs. Sam Knickerbocker drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center field to get the Cardinals on the board. Brinton Anderson then singled and was brought home by Riley Bauman's double to right field, giving the Cardinals an early 2-0 lead.
 
In the second inning, the Cardinals extended their lead with two more runs after Sherman doubled to right field and scored on Hanneman's sacrifice fly. Noah Lahner advanced to third on a passed ball and scored when Stpehen Golden singled to center field. 
 
After two innings, the Cardinals held a 4-0 advantage.
 
The fifth inning saw the Bluegolds narrow the gap with two runs bringing the score to 4-2. 
 
In the sixth inning, Sherman again contributed with a double, advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt. Josh Costello then singled to left field, scoring Sherman and adding one more run for Saint Mary's, setting the score at 5-2.
 
In the final inning, Eau Claire managed to score two more runs, but it was not enough to overtake the Cardinals, securing a 5-4 victory, aided by their strong start.
 
GAME TWO
 
The Cardinals started game two strong in the first inning with Hanneman singling to center field and successfully stealing second base. Golden followed with a double to center field, driving in Hanneman for the first run of the game.
 
In the sixth inning, the Blugolds scored two runs, taking a brief lead. 
 
However, the Cardinals quickly responded in the bottom of the inning as Golden was walked and advanced to third on a ground out and then scored on a wild pitch, closing the gap to a one-run deficit, 3-2.
 
The game continued into extra innings!
 
A Cardinals single allowed a runner to advance to second on a sacrifice bunt. Hanneman then singled to right field, bringing Schulte home for the winning run!
 
The walk off secured a 4-3 victory for the Cardinals, concluding the game with the Cardinals totaling eight hits and four runs.
 
The Cardinals will take the weekend off and return to action at home on Wednesday, March 19th, for a single game against Viterbo, beginning at 1:00 p.m.