Auburndale, FL — The Aquinas baseball team was eager to leave behind the Michigan winter and get a week of valuable game experience in Florida before beginning WHAC conference play. However, the Saints ran into early trouble against Northwestern, as the Red Raiders jumped out with two first-inning runs and never looked back, handing Aquinas a 10-3 defeat.

Northwestern 10, Aquinas 3

Ramsey Bousseau, Grant Martin, JT LaMange, and Dylan Nguyen recorded hits for Aquinas, while Luke Lacross and Stephan Weinert each drove in a run. Bousseau accounted for all three of the Saints' runs, scoring in the third, fifth, and ninth innings. Aidan Schmuckal, Weinert, and Nguyen each drew two walks, contributing to Aquinas' high number of baserunners.

Ethan Bowen took the loss for Aquinas, working four innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out two and walking one. The Saints' offense showed patience at the plate, drawing nine walks, but struggled to capitalize on those opportunities.

Game Summary & Coaches Take

Despite Northwestern's offensive production, the biggest difference in the game came with two outs. Aquinas struggled to close out innings defensively, while Northwestern capitalized, scoring the majority of its runs with two away.

Head Coach Chris LaMange noted the team's struggles in those key moments.

"Today, the big difference was two-outs," LaMange said. "We struggled on defense, finding a way to get that third out of the inning, while Northwestern scored the majority of their runs with two away. Offensively, we just could not get that big hit with runners on base. We had 19 base runners and only three runs, that tells us what our main area of improvement needs to be going into the weekend."

Up Next

The Saints will look to rebound on Friday as they continue their Florida trip with a doubleheader. Aquinas takes on Cumberlands at 11:00 AM before facing Warner at 3:00 PM on Royals Field in Lake Wales, Florida.