The Cougars split a doubleheader against Purdue University North Central on March 26, with the first game being a close loss, while the second game saw the Cougars win via slaughter rule.
Game one started out well for the Cougars as they scored after a double by outfielder Jim Augle and a sac fly by left fielder Bryan Polak resulted in a 1-0 lead for St. Xavier after the top of the first.
But the lead would not last long as the Panthers answered back in the bottom of the first with a run of their own thanks to an error by the Cougars to tie the game at 1-1 after the first inning.
After a scoreless second and top of the third by the Cougars, Purdue- North Central struck in the bottom of the third, scoring a run off of two hits to take the lead at 2-1 after two innings.
The fourth inning mirrored the third as the Cougars would not score in the top of the fourth, while the Panthers scored one run off of one hit and a couple groundouts to extend their lead to 3-1.
In the top of the fifth, the Cougars offense got going, scoring two runs off of three hits to tie the game at 3-3. The first run of the inning was scored off of a double by right fielder Erik Eggert. The second run came off of an RBI single by catcher Ryan Pellack.
The Cougars held the Panthers scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, setting up a chance to score the leading run in the top of the sixth. The top of the sixth started out well for the Cougars, as designated hitter Tom Hayes led off with a single.
But that was all they would get as Purdue-North Central locked down and force the game tied into the bottom of the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Panthers capitalized on the Cougars’ missed opportunity, scoring two runs on one hit to give Purdue-North Central a 5-3 game lead setting the Cougars up with one last chance to tie the game or take the lead.
In the end, St. Xavier failed in their comeback attempt and lost the game 5-3. Despite dropping the first game, the Cougars looked to rebound from this tight loss in the second game.
St. Xavier looked motivated and ready for the second game and it showed right away as the Cougars scored two runs and record two hits in the top half of the first to give themselves a 2-0 lead.
The first run was scored thanks to a rbi single by left fielder Bryan Polak. The second run was scored off of an RBI single by designated hitter Declan Dennehy. The game turned into a pitcher’s duel for a while, as neither team could get on the board between the second inning and the fourth inning.
In the top of the fifth, the game was a pitcher’s duel no more as the Cougars went on an offensive barrage, scoring nine runs, recording eight hits, and get a little bit of luck thanks to an error by the opposition.
Augle played like a man possessed in the inning, recording two hits in two at bats. He also scored two runs in the inning and drove in three of the Cougars’ runs. After the top of the fifth, St. Xavier found themselves leading 11-0 against Purdue-North Central.
They answered back though; scoring two runs off of three hits in the bottom half of the inning to make the score 11-2 after five innings of play.
After a scoreless sixth inning, the Cougars once again had a splendid display of offense in the top of the seventh inning, scoring six runs off of four hits with some help courtesy of three errors by the defense.
The big hit of the inning came from third baseman Jacob Wimmer. With the bases loaded and with two outs, Wimmer hit a clutch three RBI double to open up the game even more.
The Cougars offense would eventually come to a halt, but not before the lead ballooned to a score of 17-2. The Cougars would win the game by the same score after getting three outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Augle and Polak played great in the doubleheader. Augle combined to go 4-9 from the plate, while scoring four runs and driving in four RBIs. Polak went 3-8 in the two game, driving in four RBIs and also scoring two runs.
With the split, the Cougars record now sits at 6-12 with a conference record of 4-6. There next doubleheader would happen on Saturday, March 28, against Roosevelt University.
John Romando
Senior Sports Editor
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