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Box Score 2 Fort Wayne, IN – Sunday's doubleheader with Indiana Tech marked the end of the regular season for the two WHAC conference foes. After yesterday's wins, it was a quick turnaround for AQ, which definitely favored Indiana Tech. If the Warriors swept the doubleheader, they would leapfrog AQ into third place in the conference. If the Saints could take either game, they would secure the third-place finish. Needless to say, both teams had a lot to play for.
Game 1: Indiana Tech 10, Aquinas 2
Indiana Tech used a surge of early offense to defeat Aquinas 10-2 in the first game of Sunday's WHAC doubleheader at Warrior Field.
The Warriors (29-18) struck quickly, blasting two home runs in the opening frame. Lukas Rybarczyk led off with a solo shot to right field before Josh Ferguson's three-run homer extended the lead to 4-0 after just one inning. Indiana Tech kept the pressure on in the second, scoring three more runs thanks to an RBI single from Braden Hannah and a two-run double from Jared Malott.
Malott continued his strong day at the plate in the fourth inning, launching a three-run homer to left field to push the lead to 10-1. He finished the game 2-for-3 with five RBIs and two runs scored.
Aquinas (26-22) battled but couldn't overcome the early deficit. The Saints got on the board in the third inning when Dylan Nguyen reached on an error, allowing JT LaMange to score an unearned run. Dawson Shearer doubled and scored in the fifth on a single through the left side by Ramsey Bousseau, who had a strong performance with a 3-for-4 day at the plate and an RBI.
On the mound, Indiana Tech's Andrew Byford (1-0) earned the win in his first decision of the season, allowing six hits and two runs (one earned) over 4.1 innings. Keegan Plank came on in relief and shut down the Saints, giving up just one hit and striking out four across the final 2.2 innings.
Sam Pollack (0-1) took the loss for Aquinas, allowing four runs on two hits and two walks in just a third of an inning. Despite the tough start, Aquinas' bullpen combined to hold the Warriors scoreless over the final two frames.
The game lasted 2 hours and 56 minutes and drew an attendance of 95.
The Saints and Warriors faced off again thirty minutes after the conclusion of Game One, with AQ looking for a split.
Inside the Numbers (Game 1):
Game 2: Indiana Tech 8, Aquinas 5 (3-run walk-off home run)
For most of the game, it looked good for AQ, but the Warriors refused to go away. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, Jordan Malott smashed the Saints' hopes of a third-place finish with a three-run walk-off bomb — a shot that closely resembled Roy Hobbs' legendary blast in The Natural (albeit from a right-handed hitter) — quite possibly still soaring into never-never land.
Despite an early lead, the Aquinas baseball team fell 8-5 to Indiana Tech in the second game of Sunday's WHAC doubleheader at Warrior Field.
Aquinas jumped out quickly, as Stephen Weinert launched a solo homer to left field in the first inning to open the scoring. The Saints added another in the second when Dawson Shearer scored on a throwing error by the Tech third baseman. In the third, Dylan Nguyen singled home Ramsey Bousseau, and Luke LaCross followed with a two-RBI single to give Aquinas a 5-2 advantage.
However, Indiana Tech kept chipping away. After plating a run in the third, they inched closer in the seventh when Ben Morrison grounded out to score a run, cutting it to 5-4. The Warriors tied the game in the eighth on a double by Justin Miller before delivering the decisive blow in the ninth: the three-run home run from Malott.
Grant Martin (0-1) took the loss for Aquinas, pitching two-thirds of an inning and allowing three runs on three hits. The Saints' bullpen had been strong through the middle innings, with Hunter Doyle tossing two scoreless frames and Ethan Bowen and Kaleb Mitchelson combining for four innings of solid work.
Offensively, Aquinas managed just six hits, including Weinert's home run and RBI singles from Nguyen and LaCross. Bousseau, LaMange, and Jon Popp also collected hits for the Saints. Aquinas was aggressive on the basepaths, swiping seven bases in the contest.
With the sweep, Aquinas moves to 26-24 overall and 19-9 in WHAC play. The Saints will finish fourth in the conference standings, with Indiana Tech overtaking them for third place as the regular season concludes.
Inside the Numbers (Game 2):
Coach's Comments:
Head Coach Chris LaMange on the difficult doubleheader sweep pulled off by the Warriors:
"Tough loss to end the day, but overall, very happy with how well we played the last 35 games of the season. A fourth-place finish and 19 league wins in a very tough conference is a season our guys should be very proud of after a rough start. Now we shift our focus to playing our best baseball of the season in our conference tournament."
Up Next:
The WHAC Conference Tournament will begin on Wednesday. AQ and Cornerstone are sharing hosting duties on Wednesday and Thursday, with AQ exclusively hosting on Friday and Saturday.
Brackets will be posted sometime on Monday, including the Saints' first-round opponent. Full recaps and updates will be posted at AQSaints.com.
