Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Saints clashed against Concordia for the second consecutive day this afternoon (Apr. 7). AQ kept both contests close, but the Cardinals managed to take both games to go 3-1 against Aquinas this weekend.
Today's games moved the Saints to 13-19 this season and 5-9 in conference play. CUAA is now 24-8 with a 15-3 WHAC record.
Game 1: Concordia 7, Aquinas 3 (7 Innings)
Aquinas had a tough hill to climb out of the gates as CUAA took a three-run lead in two innings with four hits. However, the Saints managed to mitigate the damage as Concordia stranded five runners in the first two innings.
The Saints looked to be in position to quickly erase the deficit in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with no outs after hits from
Nathan Wilcox and
Chase Ingersoll, along with a
JD Gillies walk.
Grant Martin hit one run in with a sacrifice fly, but the Saints left runs on the table after a strikeout and a lineout.
No runs were scored in the third, but the Cardinals found their way onto the scoreboard once more in the fourth, tagging on two more runs. AQ got one back in the bottom of the frame after singles from Gillies and
Luke LaCross before
Jayden Timmer hit Gillies home with a sacrifice fly.
CUAA responded with another run in the fifth and then again in the seventh to take a 7-2 advantage. Aquinas scored a quick run in the seventh after hits from
Nicolas Verdugo and
Mark Binkowski, followed by another sacrifice fly – this time from Wilcox. That would be the final run scored for AQ as the game concluded with a 7-3 final score.
Game 2: Concordia 6, Aquinas 4
The Saints nearly scored right away in the bottom of the first, but the first runs wouldn't come until the third and fourth innings as CUAA scored a run in each frame. The visitors then doubled up their lead with two more runs in the fifth to put AQ four runs behind one of the best teams in the conference.
AQ started to chip away at the lead in the fifth after hits from
Ryan Gillings and Verdugo put a pair of runners on base. A passed ball followed by an RBI single from Binkowski put a couple of runs up on the scoreboard for AQ. However, the game quieted down until the eighth inning.
CUAA scored a run in the top of the inning, but the Saints immediately got the run back after Binkowski sent the ball flying over the left-field fence for a solo homer. A double from
Grant Martin and an RBI single from LaCross brought AQ back within just one run with the ninth inning to go.
A solo home run for Concordia in the top of the ninth added on an insurance run, but AQ still got the fans excited in the bottom of the ninth. The Saints put the tying run on base with just one out, but a fly out and a foul pop-up unfortunately ended the comeback attempt for the hosts.
By the Numbers
Verdugo had a strong day with five hits on nine at-bats. Binkowski also batted at least .500 with a 4/8 day that included a home run and a pair of RBIs.
Despite the final scorelines, the Saints outhit the Cardinals with 21 hits to CUAA's 18 and a .328 batting average to Concordia's .281. LaCross (3), Martin (2), Wilcox (2), and Ingersoll (2) all posted multiple hits.
Up Next
The Saints have some ground to make up in the conference standings and will be looking to do so starting on Tuesday (Apr. 9). AQ is scheduled to take on Cornerstone University on Tuesday starting at 3:00 p.m.
