CCAC Baseball Tournament

The Bees will have their backs against the wall after St. Ambrose dropped its opening game of the CCAC Baseball Tournament to Olivet Nazarene 3-0 Friday afternoon.

The loss drops the Bees into a must-win situation Saturday in the double-elimination, eight-team tournament played at Route 66 Stadium in Joliet, Ill.

SAU scratched out just five total hits but did threaten by putting a pair of runners on in two different innings. In the third, Peyton Minder and Mike Coughlin had back-to-back one out hits before both moved into scoring position on Mike Snow's sacrifice bunt. But Andrew Rodriguez grounded out to end the threat.

Then in the seventh, Michael Ryan drew a one-out walk and Liam Dennehy followed with a single to right center, but both runners were stranded. The Bees left a total of six runners on base.

Colton Carr kept SAU in the game, allowing just seven hits in his complete-game effort. Three of those hits came as part of a three-run third inning for the Tigers. Carr struck out five in the pitchers' duel.

Snow and Rodriguez also had hits for the Bees in the loss.

SAU will face either Roosevelt or St. Francis (Ill.) Saturday at 10 a.m. in an elimination game. The CCAC Tournament will continue through next Wednesday.