CHICAGO – The Saint Xavier University baseball team (12-8/3-3 CCAC) started their four-game series vs. Indiana University South Bend with a pair of wins in a doubleheader Friday afternoon in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) action at Richard R. Ferrell Memorial Field in Chicago, Ill. Junior infielder John Simecek (Twinsburg, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) belted two home runs, going 3-for-4 at the plate, and senior pitcher Trent Markezich (Mount Olive, Ill./Mount Olive) threw 7.0 innings with three strikeouts to improve to 3-1 on the mound in a 10-2 triumph in game one. Junior outfielder Max Waszkiewicz (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale South) clubbed his first collegiate home run, a three-run blast, and junior pitcher Cole Martz (Huntington, Ind./Kankakee/Huntington North) tossed a one-hitter with nine strikeouts, moving his record to 2-1, in a 6-1 victory in game two.

Game One:

• Simecek also scored three runs with two stolen bases and a walk.
• Junior infielder Noah Dreier (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield Central) slugged his fourth home run of the season, finishing 2-for-5 with two RBI and a double.
• Junior outfielder Ben Meier (Beechwood, Ky./Lincoln Trail/Beechwood) went 2-for-4 with two RBI, a triple and a run scored.
• Senior infielder Beau Polickey (Oak Lawn, Ill./Heartland/Brother Rice) was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run.
• Markezich scattered seven hits, allowing two earned runs and walking one batter.
• Junior pitcher Richard Gomez (Chicago, Ill./Parkland/Concordia/St. Laurence) threw an inning of relief with a hit and two walks.
• Senior pitcher Osvaldo Ballesteros Jr. (Berwyn, Ill./St. Laurence) finished the game, working an inning with a hit and a walk given up.
• Dreier gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 2^nd with a home run over the wall in left center.
• SXU scored four runs in the bottom of the 3^rd on a sacrifice fly by senior catcher Aaron Orzech (Shorewood, Ill./Crossroads Christian Academy), a two-run home run down the left field line by Simecek and an RBI double off the bat of Dreier.
• Simecek homered to right field to extend the lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the 5^th.
• Meier sliced an RBI triple to the gap in right center, and he scored on a sac fly from Polickey for an 8-0 advantage in the bottom of the 6^th.
• The Titans scored a pair of runs in the top of the 7^th off an RBI single and a sacrifice fly.
• Saint Xavier capped the scoring in the bottom half of the frame as sophomore designated hitter Parker Violett (Maple Park, Ill./Kaneland) lifted a sac fly and Meier lined an RBI base hit.

Game Two:

• Martz went the distance for his first complete game of the season, logging 7.0 innings with one hit, one run (unearned) and two walks.
• Polickey had two hits in two at bats with two runs scored.
• Simeck went 1-for-3 with a home run.
• Freshman infielder Trevor Corbett (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 2^nd.
• Senior infielder Shea Zbrozek (Bloomington, Ill./Danville Area/Normal Community) doubled the lead to 2-0 with a sac fly in the bottom of the 3^rd.
• A two-base throwing error scored a run for IUSB in the top of the 5^th.
• Waszkiewicz cleared the wall in left field on the first pitch he saw for a three-run shot to put the Cougars up 5-1 in the bottom of the 5^th.
• Simecek smashed his team-leading sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the 6^th.

Saint Xavier (12-8/3-3 CCAC) concludes its series with Indiana South Bend with a doubleheader at Ferrell Field on Saturday, March 21. Game one is slated for a 12:00 pm first pitch.