JOLIET, Ill. -- The University of St. Francis baseball team recorded 28 hits on the day and scored in 10 of 16 innings, but St. Ambrose University (Iowa) was able to counter with 27 runs and 31 hits of their own to claim a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep of the Fighting Saints with its 12-4 and 15-13 victories on Tuesday afternoon.

St. Ambrose (8-12, 5-5 CCAC) went right to work on Tuesday, scoring a pair of runs in the front end of each doubleheader to take matching 2-0 leads.  A pair of three-run frames would follow in each game before two disastrous seventh innings would put both games out of reach for the Saints (9-14, 5-3).

Five Saints in total recorded hits on both sides of the doubleheader.  Jake Klepacz (6-for-9, 4 RBI) and Drew Dant (5-for-9, 2 RBI) led all hitters, while Brayan Hidalgo (2 RBI), Jake Merda (3 RBI) and Nate Maliska (2 RBI) each collected four hits and drove in multiple runs each for the Saints.

Klepacz and Maliska each authored a home run in the nightcap to give St. Francis the lead in both the second (3-2) and sixth innings (11-8), but St. Ambrose's offense countered quickly by posting a three-run third frame and a seven-run seventh stanza to promptly push the lead back in its favor.

Cristopher Villwock, Jacob Jurka and Quinn McGuire were the Saint pitchers among five in Game 2 that went to the mound that did not yield a run.  The trio combined for five scoreless innings and only allowed one hit, while striking out one.

Villwock also had a blemish-free outing in Game 1, retiring the lone batter he faced.

Up Next
The Saints continue defense of their back-to-back league titles with a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader versus Olivet Nazarene University on Friday (March 21).  First pitch at Slammers Stadium is set for 1 pm.

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