SAU builds big lead and hangs on to take series from Judson
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Ambrose | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
|
Judson | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 4 | 10 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Ambrose | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 2 |
|
Judson | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 2 |
After building a 10-2 lead, St. Ambrose did enough to hold on for a 10-9 win in to split a doubleheader Saturday and take a three-game series from Judson.
After winning the series opener 6-4 in 10 innings Friday, the Bees lost the first game of Saturday's doubleheader 4-3. SAU is now 14-22 overall and 10-6 in the CCAC.
In the finale, the Bees powered to a 10-2 lead in the top of the sixth behind home runs from Tanner Ennis and David Gonzalez. Ennis hit a two-run shot to stake SAU to a 2-0 first-inning lead and Gonzalez hit a solo blast in the sixth for the eight-run lead.
But Judson (27-14, 13-4 CCAC) got right back into the game in the bottom of the inning, scoring five times to get to within 10-7. The Eagles scored twice more in the seventh to pull within a single run and threatened by putting the lead-off man on base in both the eighth and ninth innings. Cooper Sant Amour got the final six outs, ending the game with a comebacker to the mound with the potential tying run in scoring position.
Matt Baldwin finished 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored and two RBIs. Gonzalez and Kevin Zanger each had two hits. Zach Hart, Tommy Goodale, Oli Herrera and Zanger each drove in a run.
Nate Kurtz got the win after allowing six hits and four runs, three earned, over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four.
Jake McCabe took the loss in the first game Saturday. He allowed four runs, only three of which were earned, in going the distance. A three-run third inning was his undoing and put St. Ambrose in a 4-1 hole after the Bees had tied the game on a Mike Miller run-scoring single in the top of the inning.
Nick Foster had an RBI groundout in the fourth and Gonzalez had an RBI single in the seventh to account for the final two SAU runs.
The Bees had plenty of chances to sweep the three-game set but stranded 11 runners in their lone loss. St. Ambrose left two on in the first, fourth and fifth innings and left the bases loaded in the seventh.
Miller was 3-for-4 while Gonzalez picked up two hits.
SAU will next play a conference doubleheader at Olivet Nazarene Tuesday.