On April 9 and 10, the Saint Xavier men’s baseball team earned an easy three-game sweep over the Lincoln College Lynx.
The first two games of this series were played at Lincoln on Saturday, where the Cougars would unleash an offensive onslaught unlike anything the team has done all year.
Game one was decided for the Cougars by a resounding score of 23-8. SXU scored 17 runs through the first four innings, as the Lynx struggled to get anyone out. While the Lynx did threaten with five runs in the fourth inning, the Cougars put the game away by adding eight runs in the fourth.
The Cougars got their biggest contributions from Collin Woulfe and Joe Rycrz, who both added 4 RBIs to the total. SXU also had two home runs in the game from Drew Hunniford and Jimmy Smyth.
The second game of the day was not much closer as the Cougars coasted to an easy 13-1 victory. SXU immediately scored five runs in the top of the first inning and steadily grew the lead as the game went on.
Darren Zarillo had a big performance in game two as he went three for four at the plate with 3 RBIs and a walk. The Cougars also got a stellar pitching performance from Logan McCleery, as he only gave up one run through five innings while striking out eight.
The third and final game of this series was played at Saint Xavier University on Sunday. The Cougars would close this series out with one last blowout as they won 17-4. SXU scored three or more runs in all but one inning, and the Lynx were only able to rack up four hits throughout the entire game.
The biggest highlight of the game came from third baseman, Trevor Hausher, who hit a three-run home run to give the Cougars 17 runs. Starter Nico Saldias, also had an excellent outing as he threw four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
With this sweep, the Cougars’ record is now 29-9, and they are 12-4 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). SXU is currently in third place in the CCAC, and they are two and a half games back of both Saint Ambrose University and Olivet Nazarene University.
The Cougars last 13 games of the year are all against CCAC opponents, so the team still has plenty of opportunities to reclaim the top spot.
The Cougars’ next games are on Wednesday, April 13, where they will host the Indiana South Bend Trojans for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at Ferrell Field.