Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Aquinas baseball team earned a doubleheader split against IU-South Bend on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 20). Playing at a neutral site in Westfield, Indiana, the Titans were the home team in game one and ended up taking the 11-7 win over the Saints in seven innings. AQ got its revenge in game two, completing the comeback as the home team and gaining a 15-14 walk-off win in the 10th inning.

GAME 1 - IU-South Bend 11, Aquinas 7 (7 innings)

The Titans were in control most of the game, taking an 11-0 lead after six innings of play. Zach Marshall started game one for the Saints and ended up taking the loss after going two innings and giving up two runs on four hits, while striking out one. Josh Avink relieved Marshall in the third inning and proceeded to be charged with five runs (two earned) on four hits, two walks, and an error in two innings of work.

Garrett Cheslek pitched the next one and two-thirds innings and allowed four runs on six hits and a walk. Riki Yokoyama came in and got the last out of the sixth inning by way of a strikeout.

Aquinas finally got the bats going in the seventh inning, attempting to comeback from a big hole. AQ loaded the bases as Kelvin Aracena singled, JD Gillies was hit by a pitch, and Mark Binkowski walked. The first four runs were either walked in or scored by a hit by pitch. Dane Smitz, Braden Nawrocki, Nathan Hughes, and Nathan Wilcox all picked up RBI on those four runs.

Jake Paganelli and Alex Strickland hit back-to-back RBI singles to score the next two runs. Aracena came to the plate for the second time in the inning and ended up grounding into a double play to plate the seventh and final run for the Saints. 

Aracena and Hughes both ended up with a multi-hit game, while Strickland led the team with two RBI.

GAME 2 - Aquinas 15, IU-South Bend 14 (10 innings)

IUSB struck again in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Mason Hill started the game on the hill and ended up with a no decision after pitching three innings and striking out four hitters, while surrendering one run on three hits and a walk.

The Saints responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning as Hughes started with a sacrifice fly to score Gillies. Nawrocki singled in the next at bat to bring in Smitz. Braden Brown also singled to bring around Nawrocki as Chris Suriel Garcia again singled to plate Brown for the fourth run.

Aquinas added another run in the second inning as Smitz hit his second single of the game already to drive in Binkowski.

The Titans scored five runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-5 lead, but four of those runs were were unearned due to an error with two outs in the inning. Kyle Teachworth took over for Hill in the fourth inning and allowed the one earned run (four unearned) in two innings of work on four hits and a walk, while striking out two.

AQ quickly took back the lead with three runs in the bottom of the inning, starting with a two run double by Hughes who scored Smitz and Gillies. Grant Martin reached on a fielder's choice in the next at bat that was able to bring around Hughes. The Saints extended the lead to 9-6 in the fifth as Smitz again singled that scored Sean Wing.

IU-South Bend had another big inning in the sixth as five runners scored to take the 11-9 lead. Another error by Aquinas helped out the Titans as only one of the five runs scored were earned. Hunter Morrison came in from the bullpen in the sixth and made it out of the inning allowing one earned run (four unearned) on two hits, three walks, and an error.

Suriel Garcia was able to get one run back for the Saints to cut the deficit to four in the bottom of the sixth as he singled in Martin.

Conor Gausselin took over on the mound in the seventh and another error by the defense allowed three runs to score. None of the last three runs scored by the Titans were earned for Gausselin as he allowed two hits and struck out another two.

The comeback began for AQ in the eighth as three runs were scored to cut the deficit down to one. Suriel Garcia continued his great game with a double to right-center field that brought in Brown and Martin. Gillies followed that up with a triple to right-center field that scored Suriel Garcia.

With their backs against the wall, the Saints were able tie the game up in the bottom of the ninth to extend the game into extra innings. A Hughes double and two walks by Martin and Brown loaded the bases. Strickland came to the plate with two outs and was hit by a pitch that plated the tying run in Hughes.

In extras, Gillies doubled to open the inning and was moved to third on a groundout by Smitz. Two intentional walks loaded the bases for Martin. During the at bat, a wild pitch got by the catcher and Gillies was able to score the walk-off run.

Nathan Myers pitched the last three scoreless innings for AQ, allowing only a single hit and striking out one in the win.

Gillies, Smitz, and Suriel Garcia led the offensive attack by collecting four hits a piece, while Suriel Garcia drove in four runs. Hughes, Martin, and Brown all also had multi-hit performances with Hughes driving in three and Martin plating two.

Aquinas will play a four-game set against St. Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio on Feb. 26-27. The neutral site doubleheaders will begin at 1:00PM on both Saturday and Sunday at Bellevue Vets Baseball Field.