Rockford, MI – It's hard to believe that at one point this season, the AQ Baseball team sat at 1–14, including a twelve-game losing streak. Since then, the Saints have shown marked improvement on the mound, more timely hitting, and, most importantly, a growing cohesion that comes from a team coming together. After splitting Sunday's doubleheader, Aquinas now sits alone in fourth place in the WHAC (Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference) and has every reason to believe they're in the mix for a strong run in the conference tournament, which they co-host with Cornerstone.

Game 1: Aquinas 2, Cleary 1
Behind a stellar outing from senior right-hander Mark Kalahar and a pair of clutch late-inning runs, the Aquinas Saints edged Cleary University 2–1 in a tightly contested pitcher's duel on Sunday afternoon.

Cleary struck first in the opening inning, capitalizing on a sacrifice fly for an early 1–0 lead. But Kalahar settled in quickly, going the distance with a complete-game performance. The veteran allowed just four hits and one earned run over seven innings, working around three walks while inducing ground balls and receiving solid defensive support.

The Saints were held scoreless through the first five frames before breaking through in the sixth. After Owen Graves pinch ran for Dylan Nguyen and stole second, Kasy Shadduck came off the bench and delivered a clutch RBI single to center, tying the game at 1–1.

Aquinas kept the pressure on in the seventh, loading the bases with one out. Dylan Nguyen showed great patience at the plate, drawing a walk to bring home Austin Deller with the game-winning run, in walk-off fashion. It marked the Saints' second straight walk-off win for Head Coach Chris LaMange's squad.

Inside the Numbers (Game 1):
• Dylan Nguyen: 2-for-3, one RBI, one walk
• JT LaMange: 2-for-3
• Kasy Shadduck: 1-for-1 with a pinch-hit RBI
• Mark Kalahar: Complete-game win – 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Game 2: Cleary 8, Aquinas 4
A shaky start proved costly in game two, as Aquinas fell 8–4 in the WHAC match-up despite substantial bullpen work and a late offensive push.

Cleary capitalized on early AQ miscues, scoring two unearned runs in the first inning. The Cougars kept the pressure on in the second before breaking the game open in the third with a series of hits, doubles, and smart baserunning that extended their lead to 8–1.

The Saints, however, continued to battle. Luke LaCross remained hot at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the second inning to get AQ on the board. In the fourth, Dylan Nguyen came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Grant Martin. The offense kept coming in the fifth, when Stephen Weinert and Chase Robinson delivered back-to-back RBI singles to cut the deficit in half.

Despite several late threats, the Saints couldn't break through again against Cleary reliever Westerhof, who tossed 4.1 scoreless innings to earn the win.

On the mound, Travis Weide turned in a dominant relief appearance, tossing four hitless innings with five strikeouts. Caden Gregory also helped limit the damage in the middle frames, giving Aquinas a chance to claw back.

The Saints closed the day with a 17–20 overall record and a 10–6 mark in WHAC play, still ahead of Madonna in the standings.

Inside the Numbers (Game 2):
• Luke LaCross: 3-for-4, one double, one RBI
• Ramsey Bousseau: 1-for-4, one triple, one run scored
• Stephen Weinert: 1-for-4, one RBI, one run scored, one walk
• Travis Weide: 4 IP in relief, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 5 K

Coach's Comments:
Head Coach Chris LaMange on the doubleheader split and the state of AQ Baseball:
"It was another good day for AQ, especially our performance on the mound for most of the day. The highlight was a complete-game, one-run outing by Mark Kalahar, as we earned our second walk-off victory in a row. Caden Gregory and Travis Weide combined for six shutout innings in relief in game two to give us a chance, but unfortunately, we couldn't pull off a third comeback win in a row. Four good ballgames this weekend against two solid teams. We're happy to add two wins to our victory column as we continue grinding through the WHAC conference schedule."

Up Next:
The Saints will be off until Saturday, when they host Concordia in a doubleheader. First pitch for game one is set for 1:00 PM, with game two starting 30 minutes after the opener concludes. Full recaps and updates will be available at AQSaints.com.