ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Saint Mary's baseball team (25-17, 12-8 MIAC) saw its 2026 season come to a close Friday in the MIAC Baseball Playoffs, falling in a pair of tightly contested elimination games to conclude the Cardinals' first conference tournament appearance since the 2024 season.
GAME ONE
MAC 11, SMU 4
Saint Mary's opened the day against Macalester and collected 13 hits, but the Scots capitalized on timely offense to hand the Cardinals an 11-4 setback in the tournament opener.
It was a bit of a wake up call for the Cardinals after the first inning as the Scots plated four early.
The Cardinals mounted a comeback with a three-run third inning, as we saw possible in yesterday's win, as Daniel Sherman ripped an RBI double and Dom Najacht added a two-run single to give Saint Mary's an early advantage. Sherman paced the offense with a 3-for-5 performance with two runs scored, while Josh Costello also finished with three hits. Najacht drove in two runs and Rheis Johnson added a pair of hits and an RBI.
Saint Mary's added another run in the fifth, but Macalester answered with crooked numbers late to pull away.
The Cardinals were unable to catch the Scots as they continued to add to their powerful lead, despite each team having 13 hits.
The Scots had officially sent the Cardinals into an elimination matchup later in the evening.
GAME TWO
SJU 9, SMU 8
With their season on the line, the Cardinals responded with yet another resilient offensive performance of the postseason, nearly erasing multiple deficits before falling just short against the Johnnies.
Saint John's grabbed the early 4-0 lead, similar to game one, but Saint Mary's in the third inning after Sam Knickerbocker brought home Reese Berg. The Cardinals continued to chip away inning after inning, scoring in six different frames and refusing to go quietly.
In the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, the Cardinals continued to chip away and brought in a run each with the help from Ryan Csida, Dom Nahjacht, and Alex Hanneman.
The Cardinals continued to produce offensively throughout the lineup. Sherman turned in a monster performance, finishing 4-for-4 with a double, three runs scored, and a walk. Dom Najacht was equally dangerous, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a sacrifice fly. Knickerbocker added two hits and an RBI, while Csida drove in three RBIs.
Trailing entering the ninth inning, Saint Mary's mounted one final push.
The Cardinals plated two runs in the frame after Sherman reached and Nahjacht came in clutch with a double before setting the stage for Csida to send them both home and brought the tying run to the plate, but the comeback attempt ended just short as Saint John's held on for the 9-8 victory.
Saint Mary's finished the game with 15 hits and put together one of its most complete offensive efforts of the postseason despite the loss.
The playoff losses conclude the 2026 season for the Cardinals, who returned to the conference tournament for the first time since 2024 and showcased one of the program's most competitive seasons. It will be the Macalester Scots and the Saint John's Johnnies returning to the MIAC Championship for the third time.
