This past weekend, the Saint Xavier baseball team squared off twice on the road against Calumet College, splitting the series 1-1.
During the first game SXU posted a shutout winning the contest 5-0.
Sophomore pitcher Nico Salidas pitched the first six innings of the game and didn’t allow a single run. threw a season high ten strikeouts, allowed just four hits and walked just two batters, putting together a dominant performance.
Junior pitcher Tzu-Chun Yen came in as the reliever and pitched an inning to solidify the victory and continue the shutout.
During the fourth inning, the Cougars offense exploded onto the scene and scored three of their five total runs.
Senior infielder Declan Smyth began the inning by singling to right field and advanced to second base on a passed ball.
He would advance to third base again following a drive to left field by senior Infielder Patrick Hayes who singled on the play.
Freshman C/IF Aaron Orzech came up with a huge hit down the left side to drive in two runners, marking the first score of the inning and expanding the teams lead 3-0.
Freshman IF/P Gannon Burns pinch ran for Orzech to relieve him as the starting catcher.
Senior infielder Sam Ryan stepped to the plate and singled himself, this time down the right side, and Burns advanced to third base on an error by the right fielder.
With a man on first and third base, junior outfielder Daniel Barrios smacked a fly ball to center field on a sacrifice fly and drove in Burns to score another run moving the Cougars up 4-0.
The inning would stall following Barrios’ at bat but the Cougars made the most of their opportunities.
From an offensive perspective, the game was close to done at that point.
The team would score another run in the seventh inning but the game was really won from a defensive perspective.
SXU only made one error the entire game which ultimately didn’t amount to anything as Calumet College failed to score a run.
Aaron Orzech, who contributed with two RBI’s in the fourth inning, also played steller behind the plate as the catcher with eleven putouts.
It was a solid win for a team looking to finish strong heading into the back of the season.
The second loss was tough for SXU, losing 2-1 in a low scoring defensive matchup.
The loss could be extra harmful as it was against a conference opponent.
The Cougars currently sit in the middle of the pack in conference play with a record of 14-18 and 6-5 in CCAC play.
Saint Xavier plays three games this upcoming week, all of which are against Roosevelt University, the first of which begins this Friday April 7 away at 7pm.
They have a double header scheduled on Saturday as well with the first game beginning at 12pm.
These matchups are extra crucial for the Cougars with Roosevelt being a conference opponent.