IF/P Junior John Simecek Against Saint Ambrose University at Ferrell Field
SXU Athletics
After a tough series against Saint Ambrose University in which the Cougars men’s baseball team dropped three of four games, they turned the page as they hosted the Indiana University at South Bend Titans.
In the four games against Saint Ambrose, the Cougars managed to keep things close in the first two games, which resulted in one run losses. However things would change drastically in the final two games as both offenses would combine for 72 runs. Game three went to Saint Xavier University (SXU), 22-10 in seven innings, and Saint Ambrose would take the fourth and final game 21-9.
The Cougars set the tone early in the opener against Indiana University South Bend when they scored five runs in the first three innings leading to a 10-2 win. Juniors IF/P John Simecek, IF/OF Ben Meier, and IF/P Noah Dreier all had multi RBI performances including a pair of homers from Simecek. Dreier got the scoring started with a solo shot in the second inning, and the Cougars would never look back.
On the pitching side, senior Trent Markezich tallied his third win of the season after seven quality innings. He allowed just two runs on three strikeouts before handing it to the bullpen who would shut the door going two scoreless innings giving the Cougars the series opener win.
SXU carried that momentum into game two as they defeated the Titans 6-1. With a one run lead in the fifth inning, junior Max Waszkiewicz launched a three run homer to give the Cougars some breathing room. In the sixth, Simecek connected with a solo shot for his third home run of the day.
A strong pitching performance from junior Cole Martz helped secure the double header sweep. Martz went the distance, collecting nine strikeouts while only walking two. Through six outings Martz currently holds a 2-1 record with a 4.66 earned run average (ERA).
The following day brought more of the same, as the Cougar offense remained red hot. SXU jumped out early in a 8-4 win. The Cougars plated five runs in the first four innings, putting IU South Bend in a tough position very early on.
RF/1B Shea Zbrozek and LF Parker Violett each collected a pair of RBIs, and the duo combined for six hits.
In the fourth and final game of the series, Waszkiewicz continued his outstanding performance by adding five more RBIs to his total in this series.
Another early lead taken by the Cougars provided early pressure for IU South Bend. This time SXU plated nine runs through four innings.
Things looked like it would be an easy win for the Cougars, but the Titans managed to put some late inning pressure, scoring eight runs in the final two innings to make it a two run game. Ultimately, the Cougars were able to seal the 11-9 victory, despite the Titans best efforts, to improve their record to 14-8.
The Cougars currently sit in fourth place in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) with a 5-3 conference record. With a little over a month left in the regular season, the Cougars have plenty of games left against conference opponents to get to first place before the season ends.
The season continues against Judson University on Tuesday, March 24, in a doubleheader in Elgin, IL, starting at 11 a.m.
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