FOND DU LAC, Wis. – The Edgewood College baseball team received six hits from Alex Jaskulski and turned a rare triple play, but it wasn't enough to overcome Marian University in a key Northern Athletics Conference doubleheader. The Eagles dropped a 4-0 shutout in game one, and then watched the Sabres score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 loss in the nightcap.
Edgewood College (10-18, 8-6 NAC) generated some quality scoring chances in the opening game, but couldn't push a run across. The Eagles left 11 runners on base, including two each in the second, third and seventh innings. The Sabres had little answer for Jaskulski who matched a career-high with four hits, all singles, in four official at-bats.
Marian University (14-10, 8-6 NAC) touched Eagle starter Andrew Swanson for two runs in the first inning and one more in the second to put Edgewood College on their heels early. However, Swanson settled in and didn't allow another earned run the rest of the way. Swanson took the complete game loss, allowing seven hits while striking out seven Sabre hitters. On the other side, Marian's Brandon Winfield scattered eight hits and struck out 11 batters in a complete game shutout.
Edgewood College trailed again in game two, falling behind 4-1 after three innings. Soon though, the Eagles had knotted the game at four after a Jake Zadra RBI single in the fifth and big two-run double by Sean Thompson in the sixth inning. The Sabres and Eagles traded runs in their next at-bats, with the Eagles scoring on Jaskulski's second double of the game.
In the eighth inning, Marian threatened when the Sabres' Cole Miklavcic singled and Ty Gellinger reached on an Eagle error, but the Eagles erased the inning in one play. Marian's Chad Langley hit a ground ball to Eagle second baseman Kody Parman, who threw to shortstop Andrew Lauritzen for the first out, and Lauritzen completed the relay back to Jaskulski at first for out number two. Miklavcic attempted to catch the Eagles napping after sprinted for home after rounding third, but Jaskulski fired a strike to Thompson at the plate to nail Miklavcic and complete a thrilling triple play.
Unfortunately, Edgewood College's defense didn't carry over to the offense. The Eagles failed to score in the ninth after Parman reached on a one-out Sabre error. In the Sabre ninth, with runners at first and third with one out, Marian's Matt Bromley delivered a walk-off single into right center field for a 6-5 Sabre victory.
Jaskulski went 2-for-4 with two doubles to complete a 6-for-8 night and establish a new career-long hitting streak at nine games and counting. Jaskulski Ryan O'Dell, who saw his streak of reaching base safely end at 22 straight games in the opener, bounced back by going 2-for-5 in the second game. Eagle starter Ryan Busse lasted into the sixth inning, before leaving with a no decision having allowed five earned runs on 10 hits. Brock McGinn held the Sabres scoreless through the eighth inning, until Aaron Schmidt came on in the ninth and was saddled with the loss.
The Eagles will spend no time dwelling on the two-game setback, as Edgewood College hosts Wisconsin Lutheran College in another crucial NAC doubleheader on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. at Stampfl Field. The fifth place Eagles sit one game in front of the Warriors in the NAC standings.