Mount Mercy took the lead with a three-run seventh inning and added two more runs in the eighth to defeat St. Ambrose 7-3 at the Plaster Athletic Complex in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday afternoon.

The Bees took advantage of three Mustang errors in the top of the sixth to grab the lead.

Michael Stupavsky reached and advanced to second on a throwing error. A Matthew McBrien ground out moved him to third. Reigning CCAC Player of the Week Bryce Vorwald was hit by a pitch and promptly stole second.

Then two more Mustang errors followed. First a throwing error by the shortstop on a Mason Heitzler groundball allowed Stupavsky to score to tie the game at 1-1. Then a failed pickoff throw got away bringing in Vorwald to give the Bees the lead. Luke Brabham came through with SAU's only hit of the inning to score Heitzler to up the lead to 3-1.

But Mount Mercy came back with a run in the bottom half of the inning and then scored three times, taking advantage of two walks and two hit batters, in the seventh to go ahead 5-3. A two-run double in the eighth completed the scoring.

St. Ambrose (8-9) managed seven singles in the loss, those coming off the bats of Brabham, Stupavsky, Vorwald, Jake Pauley, Quinn Flanagan, Peter Mitchell and Michael Rago.

The Bees received a strong start from Brandon Cusack, who surrendered three hits over three scoreless innings. 

From there, SAU turned to its bullpen, allowing five pitchers - Michael Moise, Nathaniel Johnson, Aaron Vertuno, Ysen Useni and Davino Douvalakis - to combine to throw the final five innings. Vertuno was tagged with the loss.

St. Ambrose will return to conference play this weekend with a four-game series with Olivet Nazarene. The two teams will play a doubleheader at NelsonCorp Field in Clinton, Iowa, Friday before wrapping up the set with a doubleheader in Bourbonnais, Ill., Saturday.