The Aquinas baseball team traveled to Adrian, Michigan to take on Siena Heights in a WHAC doubleheader on Saturday (Apr. 16). After SHU took game one 5-1, AQ scored a season-high 18 runs in the 18-6 game two victory as the teams split the doubleheader. Aquinas now has a record of 16-25 (4-9 WHAC) on the season, while Siena Heights stands at 15-24 (5-8 WHAC) in 2022.
GAME 1: Siena Heights 5, Aquinas 1
The first game was a relatively quiet game offensively compared to game two with SHU jumping out to a 4-0 lead with an unearned run in the first and three more runs in the fourth innings. Starting on the hill for AQ was
Zach Marshall (4-5) and he took the loss after going four and a third innings while allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits to go along with three strikeouts.
The lone run for Aquinas came in the fifth inning as
Nathan Wilcox walked with two outs and
Kelvin Aracena doubled to center field to bring Wilcox all the way around to score.
Nathan Myers relieved Marshall in the fifth inning and only gave up one run in the inning on two hits, while striking out one.
The only multi-hit game in the lineup belonged to
Dane Smitz who now has 13 of them on the season and is riding an eight-game hitting streak.
GAME 2: Aquinas 18, Siena Heights 6
The bats came alive in game two for both teams and it was SHU who got on the scoreboard first again on a passed ball in the first inning.
AQ was able to come up with two runs in the next half inning to take a 2-1 lead as
Braden Brown scored on a throwing error by the catcher who was trying to catch
JD Gillies stealing at second.
Ryan Gillings brought in Gillies for the go-ahead run on a double down the left field line.
Josh Avink started game two on the bump and was chased without recording an out in the third inning after giving up six runs (five earned) on six hits and a walk. The five Siena Heights runs scored came on two singles, a triple, and a groundout to take a 6-2 lead.
Aquinas would go on to score 14 unanswered runs, including three in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 6-5. After Gillings walked and
Anthony Arnold came in to run for him, Arnold was able to advance to third on two wild pitches and
Nathan Hughes drove him in on a sacrifice fly. Smitz and
Cameron Greener were both hit by a pitch in the inning before Brown smacked a two out triple to left center field to bring around both to score.
A big seven-run sixth inning was when AQ would take the lead. Hughes was able to clear the bases on a double to left center field with Smitz,
Sean Wing, and Arnold all scoring.
Mark Binkowski then tripled to right center field to plate Hughes, while
Braden Nawrocki wrapped up the inning with a two-run blast for his fourth home run of the season.
Binkowski smoked another extra base hit to the left center field gap in the seventh as Hughes and Smitz both scored on the double.
The final four runs for AQ were scored in the ninth inning as
Tyler Zomerlei and Binkowski both trotted home on errors by SHU, with Gillings bringing the final two around on a single to right field.
Conor Gausselin settled the game down on the mound for AQ after coming in for Avink in the third. Gausselin (4-3) tossed six scoreless innings to gain the win and racked up seven strikeouts.
Grant Smitz pitched the final inning and struck out the side to finish the exciting ball game.
Aquinas was led by Binkowski at the plate as he finished 4-6 with two doubles, a triple, and four RBI. Hughes also plated four runners on his two hits, while Gillings brought around three to score in his multi-hit game.
The Saints will make up one nine inning game against UNOH on Tuesday (Apr. 19) that was postponed earlier in the season. The game is set to take place at the Meijer Sports Complex with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 PM.
