Last weekend, the Saint Xavier men’s baseball team swept their three-game series against the Calumet College of St. Joseph Crimson Wave.
Game one of this series was played in Indiana on Friday the 18th, where the Cougars started the series off with a 7-5 comeback victory. Saint Xavier had their backs against the wall late, as they headed to the top of the ninth inning trailing 5-4.
The Cougars would score three runs in the top of the ninth to gain the lead, and then a scoreless bottom nine would secure them the win. The biggest contributor in this game was third baseman, Jimmy Smyth, who had two hits, and 4 RBIs for the Cougars.
The next two games of the series were played on Saturday the 19th, in a doubleheader at Ozinga Field in Crestwood, Illinois. The first game saw the Cougars win by a score 10-4 after the team scored seven runs in the first two innings of play. First baseman, Patrick Doran, was a big part of this early offense as he broke the game open with a bases clearing triple in the first.
The Cougars also got a nice pitching display from starter, Tommy Doughtery, who went five innings while only giving up two runs.
The second game of this doubleheader was another blowout for the Cougars as they won 10-3. The men’s team dominated this game early once again, as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead through the first two innings. This was a very sloppy and poorly pitched game for the Crimson Wave as
the Cougars only drove in five of the 10 total runs they scored. The biggest contributor overall for SXU was shortstop, Declan Smyth, who had 2 RBIs and a solo homerun in the game as well.
With this sweep, the Cougars record is now 20-3, and they are 4-0 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play to start the year. Saint Xavier currently holds the top spot in the CCAC, and they are one of only two teams with an above .500 record in the entire conference. The Cougars next game is on Wednesday, March 23, where they will play host to Olivet College at 2:00 p.m.