CLINTON, Iowa - Ashford University's baseball team had its hands full facing the 25th-ranked NAIA program in Robert Morris College (Chicago, Ill.) -- and proved it was more than up to the task. The Saints put the pressure on the Eagles, falling in two close non-conference games, 4-3 (eight innings) and 8-5, Tuesday in the team's first home game at Alliant Energy Field.
Ashford, in the midst of a 10-game slide, fell to 5-15 on the year as Robert Morris, member of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, improved to 22-5.
It was Ashford's first regular season game at Alliant Energy Field, also home of the Clinton LumberKings, the Seattle Mariners' Class A affiliation. The Saints had already played five regular-season contests at the confines of Camanche High School, with long home runs serving as the theme in the stadium's shortened fields.
Not as many longballs were going to leave the park on a day where winds blowing in whipped in excess of over 40 mph and chilly temperatures set in as the afternoon wore on.
"We're still young and learning how to win," said Ashford Head Coach John Govek. "We've let a few games slip away this year because we're so young. We're real close, but it's frustrating because we keep losing these one-run games."
Senior third baseman Brian Cummings defied the wind and homered twice to set the table for the Saints' offense, raising his team-leading batting average up to .410 to move past Viterbo's Eric Gruhlke and rank sixth in the Midwest Collegiate Conference.
"Brian Cummings had an amazing day today at the plate," praised Govek. "He set the example, showed leadership in how he played and was really solid at third base."
The Saints managed to put their leadoff hitter on base in the first three innings in the first game, manufacturing a run off Eagles' starter Chris Murchek.
Anthony Misitano poked an opposite-field RBI through the infield to score Elliot Swiatly after he led off the third inning with a double down the first-base line. Cummings' two-run blast in the sixth inning put Ashford up on top, 3-2, but Robert Morris added the tying run in the seventh and the winning run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly.
AU starter Matt King was solid in six innings, reversing his fortunes after a rough outing against Clarke College (March 26) in his last start. This time around, the 6'9" righty allowed three earned runs on seven hits and kept the Eagles' bats at bay.
"I thought Matt King did a nice job and really kept us in the first game," said Govek. "Robert Morris is a really good team, fundamentally sound and one of the more disciplined teams we've faced all year. I was really impressed with them."
Hard-throwing Robert Morris closer Ryan Rowe hit 91 mph on the radar gun and struck out the side to preserve the Eagles' narrow game-one win. Rowe mowed down Cummings, senior Jake Steve and freshman Cameron Puetz swinging to end it in the bottom of the eighth.
With the wind shifting gears and blowing out to left field for the second game, Robert Morris chased Saints' starter Mitch Jankowski, pushing the lefty out after 1 1/3 innings.
"We were within striking distance, but we can't get that far down to begin with early in the game," said Govek. "We got down early, made some mistakes and we battled back."
Cummings cleared the 401-foot mark in left center for his second shot of the day and fourth of the year, a two-run bomb that cut the Eagles' lead to three.
Ashford threatened late down three with baserunners on second and third and two out. Demetric Turner nearly placed a fly ball between three Robert Morris defenders, the game ending on a sliding catch in shallow right field. Rowe earned the save by pitching a perfect seventh.
Ashford returns to conference action tomorrow at 2 p.m. with an afternoon clash against St. Ambrose University (8-11, 2-3 MCC) in Davenport, Iowa.
