JOLIET, Ill. --- Mount Mercy University (Iowa) scored the final two runs of Game 1 and the last four runs in Game 2 to gain a sweep over the University of St. Francis baseball team Sunday afternoon at Duly Health and Care Field by scores of 2-1 and 8-7.  The Mustangs (5-6) also swept the three-game weekend series with their 9-7 come-from-behind victory on Saturday.

Mack Malczewski (1-1) pitched well in the opener, giving up just the two runs over six innings.  Zac Blazekovich also tossed a scoreless frame.

Offensively, Alex Martinez led USF with three hits, all of which came in Game 2, while Jake LaSota was the only Saint to record hits in each end of the doubleheader.

Game 1: Mount Mercy 2, USF 1
Matthew Murphy's two-out solo home run to left centerfield in the fourth inning proved to be the game-winner for the Mustangs, who also collected their first run in the same frame on a sacrifice fly.  That was the only bad inning for Malczewski, who retired eight of the first nine batters and let only two runners get beyond second base besides Murphy.

The two runs wiped out USF's 1-0 early advantage that resulted from a Max Montgomery two-out single up the middle.  The Saints did have six other opportunities with a runner in scoring position, including twice in the final inning, but could not push across another run.

Blake Harsiem (1-1) went the seven-inning distance for Mount Mercy, striking out five batters, while only walking one.

Both teams finished with five hits with two of USF's coming off the bat of Dan Gusel.

Game 2: Mount Mercy 8, USF 7
Trailing 4-2 in the seventh inning, the Saints turned a Mount Mercy error after two outs into a five-run inning with LaSota and Martinez both driving in a pair of runs and St. Francis' other tally coming on a wild pitch.

USF, however, returned the favor in the eighth inning with both a dropped flyball and a passed ball resulting in three unearned runs and knotting the score at seven-all.  The Mustangs then won it in the ninth inning with a single and run-scoring double after two outs.

The Saints' other two runs came on RBI hits from Brayan Hidalgo and Martinez (double) in the fourth inning to wipe out a 2-0 deficit.

Besides Martinez, Eric Maffie also had a multi-hit game for the Saints going 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

Notes: LaSota's hits in each end of the twinbill extended his hitting streak to seven games, which is a season-high for a Saint player this year … Martinez's three-hit contest was his first of the season, while his three-RBI game was his second … Gusel notched his first multi-hit game as a Saint in the opener … USF plays one more time up north before heading to Florida this weekend, traveling down the road to Lewis University for a 2 pm start on Wednesday.   

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