The Saint Xavier men’s baseball team squared off three times this past week against CCAC rival Judson University, with the Cougars winning two of three in the series.
The first game took place on Friday, April 14, where SXU emerged victorious, winning the game 5-1.
Junior pitcher Caleb Ziehr pitched the first five innings of the game and did not allow a single run. Ziehr added a strikeout and moved his record to 2-0 on the season.
Head coach Addison Rouse added after the game, “Caleb (Ziehr) is the ultimate competitor and veteran. He is poised and controls the game. He does a really good job attacking hitters, mixing pitches, and executing the game plan.”
While Ziehr pitched a fabulous game, the defense played with tremendous edge and cohesiveness to support their pitcher.
In four of the first five innings, Judson had at least one runner in a scoring position.
Despite the circumstances, Saint Xavier’s defense stepped up to the plate and held a shutout throughout the majority of the game.
Coach Rouse went on to say, “Defensively, we’ve been elite all year long, and when your pitcher throws a lot of strikes it allows our defense to stay locked in and ready. Caleb is also a contact pitcher so our guys knew they were going to get action.”
After Ziehr was replaced, one run was scored in the sixth inning, but SXU had already scored three runs earlier in the game and added two more in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
The next two games took place one day later on Saturday, April 15, the first of which Judson University won in a high scoring affair, 6-9.
SXU would respond to the loss with an offensive statement of their own, winning the second contest 12-2.
Senior outfielder Sam Ryan was the star of the weekend, recording six RBI’s with four coming in the second matchup.
The Saint Xavier offense recorded nineteen hits between both days.
One of the most exciting parts of the day was senior infielder Declan Smyth, who in game one smacked a grand slam and scored four of the teams six runs.
Senior DH Joe Rycerz had an interesting day at the plate, recording four walks and scoring two runs in the first game.
Judson jumped out to a hot start during game one, scoring five runs in the first inning and scored all nine of their runs by the fourth inning.
SXU on the other hand didn’t even score their first run until the sixth inning.
The second contest was much more positive for the Cougars, winning the game 12-2, with several players killing it at the plate.
Senior infielder Patrick Hayes went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored, sophomore outfielder Kevin Dowling went 2-4 with two steals and a run scored of his own.
During his first collegiate at bat, freshman pinch hitter Ryan O’Farrell recorded a double in the ninth inning.
Overall, it was a hit or miss weekend for SXU. While the team won the series 2-1 over Judson, they haven’t been able to grasp onto significant momentum and win multiple games in a row.
Finally, coach Rouse added his thoughts on the week as a whole. “It was really good to lock up the series on Saturday. Really crucial for us in the standings to get two of three. We ran into a good arm on Saturday in game one, but bounced back and swung the sticks really well in game three to take the series.
Conference play is starting to heat up as the season winds down.
SXU is 11-8 overall in conference play and 2.5 games out of first place. The next set of games is going to be crucial to advance their rankings in the conference.
Saint Xavier currently sits with a record of 19-21, and plays their next game in Charleston against NCAA Division One opponent Eastern Illinois University, beginning at 3pm.
About Post Author
