Rochester, MI – Fresh off their biggest doubleheader sweep of the season on Saturday (defeating Concordia), the AQ Baseball team hit the road once again, traveling to Oakland University to take on UM-Dearborn. With their WHAC playoff position on the line, the Saints needed at least a split to stay in the top four—and they did one better, grinding out a close win in game one and rolling to a dominant victory in game two to complete the sweep.

Game 1: Aquinas 3, UM-Dearborn 2

Aquinas pulled back to .500 on the season with a 3-2 win over UM-Dearborn in game one of Sunday's twin bill at Oakland Baseball Field. Aaron Moore earned his first victory of the season, while Blake Waibel came through with a clutch save to seal the non-conference win.

The Saints (20-20) struck first in the opening frame. Dylan Nguyen reached on a fielder's choice, bringing Stephen Weinert home to make it 1-0. Two innings later, Weinert returned the favor—cracking an RBI double to left that plated Ramsey Bousseau for a 2-0 AQ lead.

UM-Dearborn (1-36) chipped away in the fifth with a solo homer from Gavin Hampton, but Aquinas responded in the sixth when Nguyen dashed home on a wild pitch to restore the two-run cushion.

That insurance run proved crucial, as the Wolverines scratched across one more in the bottom of the sixth. With the tying run aboard, Aquinas turned to Waibel, who delivered 2.1 innings of pressure-packed relief, fanning three and allowing just one run to secure the win.

Moore (1-1) pitched 4.2 solid innings, yielding three hits and one run while walking one. Waibel's first save of the season locked in the Saints' 20th win.

Offensively, Bousseau went 2-for-4 with a double, while Weinert notched a double, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. Nguyen added a run scored and an RBI in the win.

With the regular season winding down, the Saints knew they couldn't afford to let any opportunities slip away—and they didn't.

Inside the Numbers (Game 1):
• Aaron Moore: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K – Winning Pitcher
• Blake Waibel: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – Save
• Stephen Weinert: 1-3, 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
• Ramsey Bousseau: 2-4, 2 2B, 1 R

Game 2: Aquinas 11, UM-Dearborn 1

Aquinas completed the sweep in convincing fashion with an 11-1 rout of UM-Dearborn in game two, improving to 21-20 on the season and staying hot in WHAC play.

The Saints wasted no time jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to an RBI groundout from Dylan Nguyen and a run-scoring single by Kasy Shadduck.

They added three more in the second. JT LaMange singled in a run, Stephen Weinert hit a sacrifice fly, and Nguyen tacked on another RBI single, aided by a defensive miscue.

AQ broke it open in the fourth with three more runs—Shadduck and Luke LaCross each drove in one, and Grant Martin added another on a pinch-hit double. The Saints padded the lead with two in the sixth and one more in the seventh, capitalizing on four Wolverine errors throughout the game.

Nguyen led the way at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run. Shadduck also contributed a pair of RBIs, while LaMange, Martin, Mueller, and Bennett all chipped in one apiece. Defensively, AQ turned a double play to squash a Wolverine rally.

Kaleb Mitchelson improved to 3-0 with another standout outing, tossing four shutout innings and allowing just one hit.

Aquinas now sits at 14-6 in WHAC play, holding fourth place in the standings—just one game back of third and two behind second.

Inside the Numbers (Game 2):
• Stephen Weinert: 1-1, 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI
• Grant Martin: Pinch-hit 2B, RBI
• Dylan Nguyen: 2-3, 1 R, 2 RBI
• Kaleb Mitchelson: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – Winning Pitcher

Coach's Comments

Head Coach Chris LaMange praised the team's resilience and momentum:

"Another outstanding job on the mound by all of our pitchers today. Climbing over the .500 mark after starting the season 1-14 is a huge accomplishment by our guys and says a lot about our team's attitude and the effort they have put in all season long. Excited that we are playing some very good baseball as we head into the last two weeks of the season."

Up Next

The Saints will take a short break before returning to action with a single nine-inning match-up against Calvin on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 PM and can be streamed live on the AQSaints YouTube Network, with Joey Sutherlin on the call.

Stay locked in with the latest scores, stats, and updates at AQSaints.com.