Baseball 5/2/04 -- St. Mary's 3-6, Augsburg 2-2

GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE

STORY FROM ST. MARY'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

WINONA, Minn. (5/2/04) -- Augsburg College came into Sunday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against the St. Mary's University baseball team boasting nine games in which the Auggies have scored 10 or more runs ‹ including 48 runs in their last three games combined.

SMU, meanwhile, entered the conference doubleheader in the midst of a four-game losing streak ‹ and with an ERA hovering just over eight runs a game. The Auggies must have been licking their chops when they arrived at Max Molock Field.

Fourteen innings later, however, the Auggies left licking their wounds, as SMU starters Aric Kittleson (Prescott, Wis.) and Nick Steig (Osseo, Wis.) -- with a little help from relievers Jesse Pedersen (St. Charles, Minn.) and David Reiter (Elgin, Minn.) -- held Augsburg to just four runs as the Cardinals swept the MIAC doubleheader 3-2 and 6-2.

"What a great way to close out your home season," said SMU coach Nick Whaley. "To pick up two wins, against a very good team, on Senior Day -- it was the perfect way for our six seniors to go out."

Kittleson and Steig -- along with Tony Cicalello (St. Paul, Minn.), Rob Kimlinger (Lake Elmo, Minn.), Seth Pugh (Crystal, Minn.) and Rob Hollnagel (La Crosse, Wis.) -- certainly made sure their final games at Max Molock Field were memorable ones. Kittleson allowed two earned runs on nine hits in 6.2 innings of work in Game 1, with Pedersen facing just one batter to earn the save, while Steig went five innings in the nightcap, allowing two earned runs on six hits. Reiter pitched a perfect sixth, and Pedersen shut the door in the seventh to complete the sweep.

"We're getting better every game -- we starting to finally play the game the way we are capable of playing," said Whaley, who not only got solid pitching, but always watched SMU turn four doubleplays -- including three in the first game. "Our strengths have always been pitching and defense, and that's what carried us today."

True, but without a few timely hits -- including a two-run home run from Matt Rink (Rochester, Minn.) in the bottom of the sixth in Game 1 -- that sweep could have easily been two losses.

SMU scored in the bottom of the first inning in the opener, but the Auggies got to Kittleson for two runs in the top of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead. After Andy Nelson (So., Waseca, Minn.) led off the inning with a double, he scored on a single by Pat Knafla (Sr., Rice, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS), who later scored on a single by Troy Deden (So., Northfield, Minn.).

With one swing of the bat, however, the lead quickly returned to the Cardinals, as Rink delivered a two-out, two-run home run to left-center -- his third home run of the season.

There was more nailbiting in the second game as the two teams traded runs in the second. Augsburg tacked on its second run in the top of the fourth, and the Cardinals responded with two in the bottom of the inning --Â on an RBI triple by Nick Winecke (St. Paul, Minn.) and an RBI single by Jose Rueda (Winona, Minn.) --Â to take the lead for good. SMU added a single run in the fifth and two unearned runs in the sixth to ice the win.

Darren Ginther (So., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) pitched the first game for the Auggies, giving up six hits while striking out four. Jeremy Nelson (Jr., Maplewood, Minn./Roseville HS) pitched the second game, striking out four while walking two. Two of the six runs charged to him were unearned.

Andy Nelson went 3-for-4 for the Auggies in the first game, with Ricky Schreier () going 2-for-4. Jon Kozitza (Jr., North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS) went 2-for-3 for the Auggies in the second game.

Both teams return to action on Wednesday (5/5) with MIAC doubleheaders, as Augsburg plays at Macalester at 2:30 p.m., and St. Mary's plays at Concordia-Moorhead at 1 p.m.