CHICAGO — Saint Xavier University hit the lucky number 7 for the third time in five elimination games to claim the 2023 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament on Tuesday night at Duly Health and Care Field.
The No. 3-seeded Cougars (31-25) secured the title by putting up all seven of their runs in the first two innings of an eventual 7-1 win over No. 5 seed Indiana University South Bend to finish up a 6-1 tournament run.
The championship locks up Saint Xavier’s bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round, which runs Monday through Thursday at ten regional sites. Tournament pairings will be announced at 4 pm on Thursday.
An ominous first inning did Indiana South Bend (24-25) in as the Cougars opened with an infield single after no one covered first base, followed by a hit batsman, walk, error and another infield single. Before the Titans even stepped to the plate in the bottom half of the inning, Saint Xavier had a 5-0 lead.
The Cougars would add two more runs in the second inning before being limited to just four hits over their final seven innings.
At the same time, SXU starter Nico Saldias (5-4) was keeping Indiana South Bend at bay. In his eight-plus innings of work, he gave up only three hits, while striking out 11 batters against two walks. He also allowed only one runner to get as far as second base.
Saint Xavier went on to outhit the Titans 11-4 with Declan Smyth (one hit), Darren Zarrillo (2 hits) and Sam Ryan (2 hits) all driving in a pair of runs.
Kole Miller accounted for IUSB’s only run with his RBI single in the ninth inning.
The tournament results follow:
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Game 1 – No. 5 seed Ind. South Bend 5, No. 4 seed Trinity Christian 1
Game 2 –No. 3 seed Saint Xavier 3, No. 6 seed Olivet Nazarene 2
Game 3 – No. 7 seed Roosevelt 12, vs. No. 2 seed St. Ambrose 5
Game 4 –No. 1 seed St. Francis 10, No. 8 seed Calumet St. Joseph 5
Friday, May 5, 2023
Game 5 –No. 2 seed St. Ambrose 5, No. 6 seed Olivet Nazarene 3
Game 6 – No. 4 seed Trinity Christian 6, No. 8 seed Calumet St. Joseph 1
Game 7 –No. 7 seed Roosevelt 7, No. 3 seed Saint Xavier 1
Game 8 – No. 5 seed Ind. South Bend 11, No. 1 seed St. Francis 7
Saturday, May 6, 2023
Game 9 – No. 2 seed St. Ambrose 7, No. 1 seed St. Francis 2
Game 10 –No. 3 seed Saint Xavier 9, No. 4 seed Trinity Christian 6
Game 11 – No. 3 seed Saint Xavier 7, No. 2 seed St. Ambrose 2
Game 12 –No. 5 seed Ind. South Bend 8, No. 7 seed Roosevelt 7
Monday, May 8, 2023
Game 13 –No. 3 seed Saint Xavier 7, No. 7 seed Roosevelt 4
Game 14 – No. 3 seed Saint Xavier 4, No. 5 seed Indiana South Bend 2
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Game 15 – No. 3 seed Saint Xavier 7, No. 5 seed Indiana South Bend 1 (Championship)