NORTHFIELD, Minn. – With their postseason hopes on the line, the Saint Mary's baseball team (24-15, 12-6 MIAC) delivered when it mattered most, sweeping Carleton on Saturday to clinch a spot in the conference tournament for the first time since the 2024 season.
The Cardinals put together two impressive performances against the Knights, earning a decisive sweep to keep their season alive and secure a place among the conference's top four teams.
GAME ONE
SMU 7, CAR 4
The Cardinals rallied back in game one to open the day with a statement win.
Reese Berg sparked the offense in the second inning with a leadoff triple down the right-field line before Ryan Csida brought him home to give Saint Mary's the early advantage. Csida later swiped back-to-back bases, setting up an RBI single from Sam Knickerbocker as the Cardinals built a 2-0 lead.
Carleton answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning and eventually moved ahead after four innings, but Saint Mary's responded in the fifth. The Cardinals capitalized on two Knights errors to tie the game before Gavan Schulte ripped an RBI double to put SMU back in front, 4-3.
Saint Mary's created separation in the seventh inning, plating three runs to extend the lead to 7-4. The Cardinals took advantage of defensive miscues by the Knights and never surrendered control down the stretch.
Connor Olson earned his second win of the season on the mound, striking out two batters in the victory.
GAME TWO (7 INNINGS)
SMU 14, CAR 1
Needing one more win to officially lock up a postseason berth, the Cardinals wasted no time taking control in game two.
Saint Mary's erupted for eight runs in the opening inning and never looked back. Consecutive hits from Josh Costello and Schulte helped ignite the offensive outburst, while early Carleton errors allowed the Cardinals to quickly pile on runs.
The Cardinals combined timely hitting with aggressive offense, collecting eight hits in the early innings to keep pressure on the Knights throughout the contest.
Saint Mary's added two more runs in the third inning before putting the finishing touches on the victory with a four-run seventh inning fueled by three hits.
Connor Tulley picked up his fourth win of the season after throwing four innings and striking out five batters.
With the sweep, the Cardinals officially punched their ticket to the conference tournament and extended their season. Saint Mary's joins Bethel, Macalester, and Saint John's as teams to secure spots in the postseason field. Tournament seeding and matchups will be finalized following the completion of conference play.
This year's conference tournament will be held at CHS Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.
