SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's baseball team went toe-to-toe with one of the MIAC's top squads on Wednesday, but despite a pair of gritty, back-and-forth battles, the Cardinals (18-11, 6-4) were edged twice by Macalester (20-10, 9-3) in a hard-fought conference sweep.

In a doubleheader defined by late-inning drama, Saint Mary's pushed the Scots to the brink in both games, only to be outlasted by narrow one-run margins.

GAME ONE (9-Innings)

SMU 7, MAC 8

The opener delivered instant drama, as the Cardinals erased an early deficit and battled all the way to extra innings before falling 8-7 on a walk-off single.

After Macalester jumped out in front, Saint Mary's responded with a big third inning. Josh Costello and Gavin Schulte ignited the rally with base hits, and after Alex Hanneman loaded the bases, Reese Berg came through with a clutch two-run double. Dom Najacht followed with an RBI single to pull the Cardinals right back into the game.

Saint Mary's continued to chip away and finally evened things up in the seventh. Costello delivered again with an RBI double, and Jack Anderson lifted a sacrifice fly to knot the score at 7-7.

The Cardinals had chances late, but couldn't break through. 

In the ninth, a leadoff single by Costello sparked hope, but a double play stalled the rally. Moments later, Macalester capitalized, using a walk-off RBI single to seal the win.

Costello led the offense with three hits, while Schulte reached base five times, collecting two hits and drawing three walks. Berg added two hits and two RBIs, and Ryan Csida chipped in with a two-RBI double.

GAME TWO

SMU 6, MAC 7

Game two followed a similar script with another tight battle, another late heartbreak.

The Cardinals struck first with a four-run second inning, using patience and timely hitting to build momentum. Schulte highlighted the frame with a two-run double, and Najacht followed with a two-RBI single to give Saint Mary's an early edge.

After Macalester battled back, Saint Mary's answered again in the fourth. A passed ball helped set the stage for Josh Costello to score on Daniel Sherman's RBI single, and Berg delivered once more with a run-scoring double to tie the game at 6-6.

But the Scots had the final answer.

A go-ahead RBI single in the sixth proved to be the difference, as Macalester held off the Cardinals down the stretch to complete the sweep.

Schulte and Najacht each drove in two runs to lead the offense, while Berg added another strong performance with two hits and an RBI. Costello crossed the plate twice and continued to be a spark at the top of the lineup.

The Cardinals return home on Saturday looking to bounce back as they host St. Scholastica, with first pitch of the doubleheader set for 1:00 p.m.