CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - A hard-fought contest that went down to the wire didn't wind up in the Ashford University baseball team's favor on Sunday morning as it closed the regular season with an 11-10 loss against Mt. Mercy College at Cedar Rapids-Xavier High School.

The Saints and Mustangs split a doubleheader on a windy Saturday at Ken Charipar Field when Ashford pounded out a season-high 20 hits in a game one win. It also marked the final collegiate games for a number of seniors on the squad.

Ashford has been officially eliminated from postseason competition that begins this weekend, as the MCC Tournament takes just the top seven teams.

In a game that featured four lead changes and three ties, the Saints were held off the scoreboard in the final three innings, giving Mt. Mercy enough time to score the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

"We played some very strong baseball down the stretch of the season," AU Head Coach John Govek said.

Senior corner infielders Demetric Turner of Eufaula, Ala., and Matt Richard of Chicago, combined for five hits and three doubles near the top of the order. Turner clobbered a pair of two-baggers in four trips to the plate and tacked on an infield single and a walk.

Turner's RBI double in the fourth inning tied the score at 6-6. Richard also doubled and scored twice while hitting second and playing first base in the lineup.

Sophomore Cameron Puetz of Peru, Ill., ripped a two-run double and drove in another teammate with an infield groundout. He also began a three-run fifth frame with a leadoff walk and kept a two-run first inning alive, drawing a two-out hit-by-pitch sequence to set the table for an RBI base knock by Mike Ray of Sycamore, Ill.

Ray finished the year as the conference leader in stolen bases with 20 successful thefts in 22 attempts.

Junior catcher Roman Davis drove in his team-leading 35th RBI, ending up third in the MCC behind William Penn duo Eddie Sobczak (46) and Kyle Humphrey (55) as the league leaders.

The Mustangs closed the gap to one run in the seventh after an RBI single by Brett Pankow, one of his three on the afternoon. Catcher Rey Lopez then drove in the go-ahead and winning run in the eight on a single to bring home pinch runner Gilberto Casique.

Sean Plummer three 1 2/3 perfect innings to get the save after Dustin BeGuhn was credited with the relief win.