Winter Haven, Fla. — The final day of the Saints' spring break trip proved to be a tough one for Aquinas. Northwestern took both games of Monday's twin bill with a pair of well-pitched, tightly contested contests that left the Saints searching for offense. AQ's bats were as cold as the Michigan air on the day they left for the Sunshine State, as the Red Raiders held Aquinas scoreless across both games.
Northwestern 1, Aquinas 0 (Game 1 Monday)
The opener of the doubleheader turned into a classic pitchers' duel that remained scoreless deep into the afternoon.
Aquinas starter Sam Pollack was outstanding on the mound, tossing six shutout innings while allowing five hits and striking out three. Pollack repeatedly worked out of trouble, stranding runners and keeping the Saints within striking distance throughout the contest.
The Saints generated their best scoring opportunity in the second inning when JT LaMange worked a walk and Joey Hysell followed with a single to left field to put two runners aboard. Northwestern, however, escaped the jam with a strikeout and a pop out to keep the game scoreless.
Aquinas added another base runner in the fourth when Chase Robinson singled to center field, but again the Saints were unable to string together the timely hit.
Northwestern finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth inning. Calab Caciari reached base and later came around to score on a defensive miscue that allowed the game's lone run to cross the plate.
Despite the tough break, Pollack's strong outing kept AQ in position to win throughout the afternoon before Korbyn Russell took the hard-luck loss in relief.
Northwestern 3, Aquinas 0 (Game 2 Monday)
The second game of the day followed a similar script, as both teams traded scoreless frames early before Northwestern capitalized on its opportunities late.
The Red Raiders struck first in the second inning when Jack Craig doubled and later scored on an RBI single from Karsten Mathsen, giving Northwestern a 1–0 advantage.
Aquinas threatened in the third inning when Stephen Weinert singled to center field, but the Saints were unable to advance the runner as Northwestern pitching continued to keep AQ hitters off balance.
Joey Hysell provided another offensive spark with a double in the fourth inning, while JT LaMange continued to grind out quality plate appearances, drawing three walks in the contest.
On the mound, Ethan Bowen delivered a solid three-inning start while allowing just one run. Kaleb Mitchelson followed with four strong innings of relief, surrendering only one hit while striking out two.
Northwestern added two insurance runs in the seventh inning with a run-scoring single followed by a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 3–0.
Despite the loss, the Saints pitching staff once again kept Aquinas within reach throughout the contest, but the offense was unable to generate the timely hit needed to spark a rally.
Saints Snapshot
The Pitching — Saints pitchers allowed just four total runs — only one earned — across the two games of Monday's doubleheader.
The Starter — Sam Pollack fired six shutout innings in game one to keep AQ in the contest.
The Relief Work — Kaleb Mitchelson delivered four strong innings out of the bullpen in game two.
The Tough Luck — Aquinas was shut out in both games despite several strong pitching performances.
The Focus Ahead — The Saints now shift their attention toward the start of WHAC conference play.
Coach's Comments
Following the final game of the Florida trip, Head Coach Chris LaMange reflected on the week and how the experience will help prepare the Saints for conference play.
"Hitting can be contagious — when it's going well, it spreads through the lineup, and unfortunately, days like today, it can be contagious when hitters struggle too," LaMange said. "It's disappointing because we wasted an outstanding day on the mound from all four pitchers who threw today."
"Playing nine games in five days is a tough stretch, but we learned a lot about our team during this trip. We saw plenty of positive things to build on, and now our focus shifts to getting ready for the start of WHAC conference play."
Up Next
The Saints will head back north and turn their attention to the start of Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play this Saturday. Aquinas will open the conference season with a doubleheader at Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne. Game one is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch, with the second game beginning approximately 25 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.
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