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Bees get Sunday sweep to split four-game set at Benedictine

Bees get Sunday sweep to split four-game set at Benedictine

Tanner Ennis hit a three-run home run and Noah Kesselmayer allowed two hits and two runs while going the distance to lead St. Ambrose to a 5-2 win at Benedictine (Kan.) in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday.

The Bees completed the sweep 10-6 thanks to a four-RBI game from Cole Aughenbaugh to split the four-game weekend set.

In Sunday's first game, Ennis staked SAU to a 3-0 lead with his three-run shot to left coming on the heels of back-to-back singles from Kevin Zanger and David Gonzalez leading off the third.

Kesselmayer surrendered both hits and both runs in the fourth as Benedictine closed to within a run at 3-2.

Despite collecting 10 hits, two each from Max Rumpf and Andrew Barreto, the Bees were unable to add to their lead until the seventh. Zanger started the frame by drawing a walk and pinch runner Jeff Harper advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. With two outs, pinch hitter Mike Coughlin came through with an RBI single to plate Harper. Coughlin then came around to score on a Payton Minder single to left to extend the lead to 5-2.

Kesselmayer finished his complete-game victory by retiring the side in order in the bottom of the seventh.

St. Ambrose banged out nine more hits in the second game, four of those hits leading to five runs in the second inning.

After taking a 1-0 lead on a Raven error, Aughenbaugh singled to center to score two more runs. Ennis and Minder added run-scoring hits later in the inning for a 5-0 lead.

Benedictine got one run back in the bottom of the second. Then the Bees took advantage of five walks, a hit batsman and a wild pitch to score three runs in the third inning without the benefit of a hit. It was the story of the game as SAU drew eight total walks, three of those by Josh Hlubek.

Aughenbaugh and Zanger each drove in a run in the fourth to push the lead to 10-1.

Benedictine battled back with three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh before Trevor Hatcher got a strikeout to strand two runners to end the game.

Jordan Chapel got the win after allowing seven hits and three earned runs over 5 1/3 innings.

St. Ambrose, now 3-6 on the year, will head south for its annual Spring Break trip. The trip begins March 10-11 with a four-game series at No. 10 Keiser in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.