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Cardinal Roster
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Cardinal Statistics
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Cardinal Schedule
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MIAC Standings
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MIAC Statistics
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| 2007 Records: 0-0 MIAC, 1-3 Overall |
| Recent Results: Dickinson State 4, SMU 3 / Details SMU 2, Dickinson State 1 / Details |
| Upcoming Games: at Tampa, Fla. Fri., March 18: SMU vs. Gettysburg, 11:00 Sat., March 19: SMU vs. Framingham, noon Sun., March 20: SMU vs. Centenary, 11:00 |
| Cardinal News and Notes: The Cardinals' Game 2 win vs. Dickinson State snapped their season-opening three-game losing streak. … Mike Mitchell (Mound, Minn.) tossed a complete-game three-hitter in SMU's 2-1 win vs. the Blue Hawks. … Robbie Johnson (Lake Elmo, Minn.), Brady Knudsen (Racine, Wis.), Kyle Ryan (St. Paul, Minn.) and Nick Winecke (St. Paul, Minn.) all had two hits vs. Dickinson State. … Winecke also belted the team's first triple of the season and drove in a pair of runs in the first game vs. the Blue Hawks. … Winecke was held hitless in Game 2 vs. Dickinson State, snapping the SMU senior's six-game hitting streak. Knudsen, meanwhile, has had at least one hit in all four of SMU's games this season to extend his hit streak to six in a row. … Winecke has had two or more hits in two of SMU's four games. … SMU has scored just seven runs this season and has not scored more than three runs in a game this year. … Half of the 24 runs SMU's opponents have scored have come in the fourth inning. … The Cardinals' opponents have scored first in all four games this season. |
SMU to 1st win, a 2-1 victory over Dickinson State
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Mike
Mitchell Complete- game 3-hitter in 2-1 win |
And through their first four games, that's exactly what the Cardinals have done.
The Cardinals opened the season with a 16-1 loss to Wartburg, and followed that up with a much better performance in a 3-1, Game 2 loss to the Knights.
Last Thursday, SMU made another step in the right direction, falling to Dickinson State in the first game of their nonconference doubleheader 4-3 at the HHH Metrodome.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, while the improvement was there through three games, one thing was still missing — a victory.
Enter Mike Mitchell (Mound, Minn.).
The junior right-hander almost single-handidly carried SMU to its first win of the season, tossing a complete-game three-hitter, as the Cardinals beat the Blue Hawks 2-1 to earn a split in their doubleheader — and, more importantly, earn that elusive first win of the season.
"We played so much better (Thursday) than we did a week ago against Wartburg," said Whaley. "I thought our approach at the plate was better, we got solid pitching in both games, and we made plays in the field.
"The early part of the season is all about improvement, and there's no question the improvements are there."
Dickinson State opened the scoring with a single run in the bottom of the third inning in the opener, but SMU responded with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth on a two-run triple by Nick Winecke (St. Paul, Minn.). The Blue Hawks knotted the game at 2-2 with a single run in the bottom of the fourth, then iced the win with a two-run sixth, punctuated by a game-winning, suicide squeeze.
The Cardinals put together their second two-run fourth inning in the nightcap — getting run-scoring hits from Brady Knudsen (Racine, Wis.) and David Krieger (Mendota Heights, Minn.). — and Mitchell made it stand up.
"It's good to get that first win under our belts," said Whaley, whose team returns to action Friday, taking on Gettysburg in the first of three nonconference doubleheaders in Tampa, Fla. "I'm very happy with the way we played (against the Blue Hawks) — it's another step in the right direction."