Sophomore second baseman Paul LaNasa’s base hit in the 10th inning was the game changer for St. Mary’s (22-18) 4-2 victory over St. Thomas (31-7) Friday, May 11, at Veteran’s Field in Minnetonka, Minn.
After being tied 2-2 for seven innings, LaNasa’s RBI single with the bases loaded scored sophomore first baseman Jon Schlemmer. Senior catcher Curt Swanson tallied the fourth and final run for the Cardinals.
It was a rare second loss in three games for the No. 2-ranked Tommies, and coach Chris Olean said he was disappointed with his team’s effort in the MIAC tournament’s opening game.
“I have no doubt in my mind that we’re the better of the two teams,” Olean said. “We just didn’t play like it.”
The Tommies got off to a strong start against the Cardinals. Freshman outfielder Jack Hogan hit a home run off junior pitcher Teddy VanRanst in the first inning, putting his team up 1-0.
St. Mary’s battled back in the second; Schlemmer put his team on the board, running home after a wild pitch got past sophomore catcher J.D. Dorgan. Junior outfielder Vince Lulic hit a double and then was hit home by LaNasa, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
Sophomore outfielder Tim Kuzniar lifted the Tommies with a home run in the bottom of the second to tie the game at two runs apiece.
Kuzniar said his homer was one of the only “bright spots” during the game for him.
“The pitcher put the ball right in the middle of the plate, and I just gave it a hard swing,” he said.
Junior right-handed pitcher Mark Dominik started for St. Thomas, and Olean said he“threw fantastic,” posting just one hit through eight innings of work.
“He kept us in the game,” Olean said. “That was one positive.”
The Tommies had several opportunities to break the score open throughout the game, leaving two players stranded on bases in the fourth, seventh and ninth innings.
“We couldn’t put good swings on the ball,” Kuzniar said. “They did everything to beat us, and we played right into it.”
Olean echoed Kuzniar’s frustration, citing “no big hits” as “the story of the day.”
“We let (St. Mary’s) stick around the entire game… and we just couldn’t get it done,” Olean said.
The Tommies had a scary moment in the ninth inning. Junior right-handed pitcher Dylan Thomas took over for Dominik to close the game but sprained his right ankle after his first throw.
Thomas, who has been a key player for the Tommies this season, said he planned on getting his ankle checked out tomorrow morning and will tape it before the next game.
“Dylan coming in and getting hurt didn’t help us,” Olean said.
Kuzniar said his top-seeded Tommies came in “laid back” against the fourth-seeded Cardinals, a team they swept in the regular season.
The winner of the MIAC tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA regional tournament next week in Whitewater, WI. The NCAA pairings will be announced Monday. St. Thomas is looking to advance to the NCAA tournament for the 17th time in 18 seasons.
“A bad outing here isn’t the end of the world for us,” Kuzniar said. “I would say we are a lock-in to get an at-large NCAA bid.”
Olean, however, sounded a bit more concerned with this weekend’s games.
“If you can’t get it done in playoffs, don’t expect to go very far,” Olean said.
The Tommies will play either St. John’s or Bethel tomorrow morning at the same venue. The tournament is double-elimination, so they could still win and take the NCAA automatic bid.
For that to happen, Kuzniar said his team needs to step up the intensity.
“We’ve got to show up and start hitting,” Kuzniar said.
Hayley Schnell can be reached at schn3912@stthomas.edu.