The Aquinas baseball team was able to snap a six game losing streak by winning one of the two games played on Friday (Mar. 11) against USC-Beaufort in Hardeeville, South Carolina. The Saints held down the offense of USCB in the first game, winning 3-1, but then turned around and lost a close 9-7 game in the series finale. AQ is now 7-14 on the season.
GAME 1: Aquinas 3, USC-Beaufort 1
In a pitcher's dual, the Saints were able to get on the scoreboard early to put pressure on the Sand Sharks. Back-to-back one out walks put
Tyler Zomerlei and
Kelvin Aracena on base and a wild pitch moved them over into scoring position. After
Mark Binkowski was hit by a pitch,
Nathan Hughes grounded into a fielder's choice that allowed Zomerlei to score the first run of the game.
In the sixth inning, AQ was able to put another run on the board to extend the lead to 2-0. It was Zomerlei again who got the inning going with a one-out double to right center field. After
Anthony Arnold came in as a pinch runner, Aracena shot a single out into left field that brought in Arnold to score.
After USCB got a run back in the sixth, the Saints scored an insurance run in the seventh inning for the final run of the game.
Braden Nawrocki did most of the work in the inning as he singled to right field to begin the inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and came over to third on a groundout by
Nathan Wilcox. With
Lorenzo Cupri at the plate, Nawrocki made a dash for home that the Sand Sharks were not expecting and scored on a stolen base.
Zach Marshall was terrific in his start on the hill, throwing a complete game and allowing only one run on six hits and two walks. To go along with his four strikeouts, Marshall collected four flyouts and 10 groundouts.
Nawrocki was able to reach base three times on two hits and a walk, while Zomerlei walked once and hit a double. Hughes and Aracena ended up with the RBI for the Saints.
GAME 2: USC-Beaufort 9, Aquinas 7
There were a lot more fireworks and runs scored in the second game with the Sand Sharks scoring the first three in the first and second innings. The first run came on a sacrifice fly in the first and the other two runs scored in the second were unearned due to an AQ error.
The Saints chipped away and eventually held a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning. Their first run was scored in the third as Wilcox double the right center field to plate Nawrocki. An RBI single in the fourth by
Dane Smitz brought around
Ryan Gillings for the second run. Then in the fifth, Wilcox muscled out his second home run of the season to give AQ the one-run lead as Nawrocki also came around to score.
Kyle Teachworth started the game on the mound four the Saints as he pitched four innings (plus three batters in the fifth) and allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits and a walk, while striking out three. All three hitters Teachworth faced ended up scoring in the fifth plus another three more as the Sand Sharks held a 9-4 lead at the end of the inning.
Nathan Myers came in to relieve Teachworth in the fifth and finished the inning giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits.
Aquinas did not go away quietly as a comeback attempt was made before falling by just two runs. In the sixth, the bases got loaded on a walk by Gillings, a double by Binkowski, and a hit by pitch by Smitz. One run was able to cross the plate after Nawrocki lifted a sacrifice fly out to left field.
Two more runs scored in the seventh with the first one coming on an error by USCB as Zomerlei scored, then
Braden Brown also hit a sacrifice fly to center field as
Sean Wing scored.
Garrett Cheslek pitched the final scoreless inning in the sixth as he struck out one and got two flyouts.
Smitz went 3-4 at the plate and Wilcox also had a couple of hits with three RBI.
The Saints will have a single nonconference game on Wednesday (Mar. 16) against IU-Kokomo in Kokomo, Indiana at 3:00 PM.
