CHICAGO --- A pair of big innings enabled Saint Xavier University to double up on the University of St. Francis baseball team both in runs and victories on Saturday as the Cougars came away with a 4-1 and 10-6 doubleheader sweep of the Saints in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play at Ferrell Field.
 

Saint Xavier (26-19, 15-9 CCAC) did all of its scoring in one inning – the fifth inning – in the opener before jumping out to a 10-1 lead after four innings in the nightcap sparked by a six-run second inning.
 

The Saints (18-16, 15-11) did have 17 hits over the two games, but left 18 runners on base for the day, including the bases loaded to end the first game.
 

Game 1 --- Saint Xavier 4, USF 1

Saint Xavier opened the fifth inning with five straight hits and both a wild pitch and a balk in the mix to break up the scoreless tie, tallying all four of its runs and collecting all but three of its hits in the one inning.
 

USF's only run came in the seventh inning on a single by right fielder Travis Schoonover (GR/Braidwood, Ill.), who totaled three hits on the day. That kept the bases loaded with only one out before Saint Xavier reliever Will Hines came on to record the last two outs and pick up his seventh save of the season and preserve Tim Brokop's eighth win of the year against only one defeat.
 

Ryan Daly (FR/Plainfield, Ill.) (2-3) went the distance for the Saints.
 

Game 2 --- Saint Xavier 10, USF 6

Four hits and an error opened the floodgates for Saint Xavier in a six-run second inning before the Saints committed two more errors one inning later to make it an 8-0 game.  In all, St. Francis would register four errors in the contest leading to four unearned runs.
 

USF starter Angel Sandoval (Garfield Ridge, Ill.) (3-5) lasted just over two innings.
 

Four different Saints collected multiple hits, but USF's late rally with five runs over the final five innings proved to be too little, too late. 
 

Second baseman Dolan Nicholson (SR/Denton, Texas) collected two hits for the second straight game, while first baseman Joe McGuire (SR/Lockport, Ill.) (2-for-5) drove in two of USF's runs with his second career triple. Shortstop Noah Kararo (GR/Oswego, Ill.) provided another run with one of his two hits in the game.
 

After winning 11 straight conference games, the Saints have now dropped four league games in a row. They will attempt to turn the tide on Sunday (April 25) when they wrap up the three-game series with Saint Xavier at DuPage Medical Group Field. First pitch is 1 pm.