WINONA, Minn. – The Macalester College baseball team went on the road and faced Saint Mary's University in a MIAC twin bill Sunday afternoon at Max Molock Field. The Scots won the first game, 7-2 before the Cardinals edged Macalester, 4-3 in Game 2. The Scots are now 5-11 overall and 1-3 in the conference, while Saint Mary's is 12-11, 3-3 MIAC.

In the first game, Macalester broke through with four runs in the top of the third inning. Juniors Nathan Gumagay (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill) and Raymond McCaskey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Manitou Springs) started the inning with back-to-back singles, then moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Holden Peacock (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid School). Juniors Stephen Paulsen (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) and Tristan Jones (Fairfield, Conn./Greens Farms Academy) followed with run-scoring singles for a 2-0 lead. Junior Josh Planko (Northville, Mich./Northville) doubled home Paulsen and sophomore Isaiah Ramirez (Houston, Texas/Northbrook) plated Jones with a sacrifice fly to put the Scots on top, 4-0.

A two-run single by Paulsen in the top of the fourth inning extended the lead to 6-0 before the Cardinals pushed two runs across in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 6-2. In the top of the sixth, Paulsen drove in McCaskey with a single for a 7-2 advantage. Senior Ben Levinson (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) pitched the final two innings, shutting out Saint Mary's while allowing two hits. Senior Cam Scholl (Belmont, Calif./Carlmont) started and limited the Cardinals to two runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking one over five innings of work. Paulsen ended up going 3-for-4 with a run and four RBIs, while Jones and McCaskey each had two hits. McCaskey scored three runs in the win.

In the second game, Macalester took an early lead in the top of the second, when first year Aram Dombalagian (Glenview, Ill./North Shore Country Day School) brought home Ramirez with a grounder for a 1-0 lead. After Saint Mary's tied the game with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, Paulsen drove in his fifth and sixth runs of the day with a single that scored McCaskey and first year Tristan Lander (West Chester, Pa./B. Reed Henderson) to put the Scots on top, 3-1. The Cardinals were able to tie the game at 3-3 with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, then a double by Will Boeckman in the bottom of the ninth plated Josh Costello with the game-winning run.

Gumagay led the Scots' bats with a pair of hits. Junior righthander Ben King (Chicago, Ill./Whitney M. Young Magnet) started on the mound and had another strong outing, allowing one run on five hits over six innings.

Next up for the Scots is a MIAC doubleheader against Concordia College in Macalester's home opener on Wednesday, April 9. The first game starts at 2:30 p.m. at Nicholson Field.