The Aquinas baseball team split a WHAC doubleheader on Saturday afternoon (Apr. 17) at the WMSC Sports Complex, winning a wild game one over Cleary before dropping the nightcap to the Cougars. AQ scored four runs in the top of the 13th inning to take game one, 8-4, but the Cougars evened the twinbill with a 7-0 shutout in game two.
Cleary was originally slated to host the Saints on Saturday, but scheduling issues forced the games to be moved to AQ's home field. Aquinas had the distinction of being the visitors on its home field, but pulled out the extra-inning victory in game one. The split on Saturday puts the Saints at 18-18 on the season and 3-9 in WHAC play. Cleary is now 10-16 overall and 3-4 in conference action.
Trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning of the opener, Nathan Hughes delivered an RBI double to center and was followed up by a run-scoring groundout from Braden Nawrocki to knot the score at 2-2. Cleary regained a 4-2 lead in the seventh, but AQ again responded with another Hughes RBI double and an Alex Strickland RBI single to tie the game at 4-4 in the eighth inning.
There would be no more scoring until the 13th, though the Saints escaped trouble in the ninth. After the Cougars loaded the bases on three walks, Richard Steffan came in with two outs and earned an inning-ending swinging strikeout to force extra frames.
Both teams had chances in extra innings, but it wasn't until the top of the 13th that AQ broke through. Dane Smitz tagged an RBI single to left field to score Brady Paganelli for the 5-4 lead. The Saints added insurance runs on bases-loaded walks to Hughes, Nawrocki, and Strickland and an 8-4 cushion. Cleary managed just a two-out walk in the bottom of the 13th before a strikeout ended the four-hour, 25-minute marathon.
Each team collected 11 hits in the opener. Hughes went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two walks, and three RBI. Smitz was 2-for-6 with a walk, Lucas Weinert walked twice and scored three runs and both Nawrocki and Strickland drove in two runs. Michael Maher added two hits and Nick Brzezinski walked twice and scored twice.
Four AQ pitchers combined on the win, as Steffan tossed 4.1 innings of one-hit relief to earn the victory, walking two and striking out four. Mason Hill started on the mound, throwing five innings and allowing two earned runs.
Game two was all Cleary, as the Cougars scored four runs in the first inning and led 6-0 after two frames. CU outhit Aquinas by a 12-4 margin. Hughes was the lone Saint with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with two more doubles. Smitz and Kelvin Aracena also added one hit apiece.
The Saints will host Bethel in a non-conference single game on Wednesday (Apr. 21) at 3:00 p.m. at WMSC Sports Complex.
