The SXU baseball team took the first two games of a three-game series this weekend against Holy Cross College. The Cougars hosted the Saints at Ferrell Memorial Field on Friday in a weather-shortened game and visited Notre Dame, Ind., on Saturday for a double-header.
FRIDAY
The conditions for the Friday game were less than ideal, to say the least. The field was the recipient of a good drink of chilly rainwater in the top of the first inning, and even after the precipitation stopped the players had to fight through gusts of wind that came swirling sometimes from the south, sometimes from the west and oftentimes from somewhere in between.
The weather made it so no play was entirely routine. The first inning alone had four errors (3 by SXU) and several wild pitches or passed balls for each team. There was a lengthy delay between the first and second innings when multiple bags of infield mix were required to make the field playable.
Despite the uncooperative weather, the Cougars were the victors by game’s end. They beat the Saints by a final tally of 11-8 in five innings. Umpires called the game in the bottom of the fifth due to darkness.
SXU was led by junior left fielder Brad Myjak, who finished the game 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored, just a triple short of the cycle. His three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning provided an effective end to the Cougars’ scoring.
Freshman right fielder Jim Augle also contributed generously to the Cougars’ offensive attack. He had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored in the winning effort.
Junior righty Chris Klein made the start for SXU and went five innings to get the win. It did not look good in the top of the first when the weather was at its worst. After getting the leadoff hitter out, Klein and the Cougar defense allowed seven straight base runners. The Saints ran their way out of the inning, but not before picking up five runs. Senior catcher Matt Munizzi hurried to the backstop after a wild pitch with a man on third and flipped to Klein covering home plate to get the second out. Munizzi also threw out a would-be base stealer to get out of the top of the first and allow the Cougars to put up a matching five runs in the bottom half.
Klein was solid after the first, allowing only six hits for the outing and striking out two. After the rocky top of the first and giving up a leadoff walk in the second, he induced a lineout double play and a strikeout to settle down.
SATURDAY
The Cougars marched into Notre Dame and procured the weekend series win with a 3-0 final score in the first game of the double-header. Senior southpaw Mike Klett pitched the shutout complete game for SXU and gave up a paltry five hits and a walk while striking out six batters in his seven innings.
Junior first baseman Thomas Keating led the way for the Cougars offensively. He went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, driving Klein home with a single in the first and again with a double in the sixth.
Klein, who played right field Saturday, was 2-for-4 with an RBI to go along with the two runs scored. Augle, who moved to center Saturday, tripled down the right field line with one out in the first before Klein singled him home to kick off the scoring.
The Cougars were not able to pick up the series sweep in Notre Dame, however, as they fell in the second game 13-2. Myjak had another strong game against the Saints and finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, but it was not enough to pull SXU to triumph.
The Cougars will look to bring a favorable end to their season beginning with their double-header Friday at Roosevelt University and a Saturday matinee at University of St. Francis (Ind.).
Tim Carroll
Sports Contributor