St. Ambrose kept its hold on first place in the CCAC by sweeping a doubleheader from Indiana South Bend by scores of 2-1 and 5-3 Friday afternoon at Modern Woodmen Park.

The wins moved the Bees to 20-13 overall and 15-5 in conference play.

The opener was a pitchers' duel with three SAU hurlers combining to strike out six and allow only one run.

Connor Bird worked the first five innings, pitching around four hits and five walks to not allow a run.

Then it was Michael Moise's turn. He was touched for a single run over three innings. But that Indiana South Bend run in the seventh gave the Titans a 1-0 lead.

Finally, the Bees, who were limited to just one hit over the first seven innings, broke through in the eighth. Michael Rago led off with a single and took second on a Jake Pauley sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a fly ball from Quinn Flanagan. Filip Milatovic then poked a single through the left side to tie the game.

In the bottom of the ninth, after Aidan Stratton, SAU's third pitcher of the game, got through the top half, Bryce Vorwald reached on a double to right. Matthew McBrien reached on a bunt to put runners on the corners. With one out, Eric Gonzalez was intentionally walked to load the bases. Then, in a nine-pitch at bat, Rago drew a walk for the walk-off win.

Stratton earned the win.

St. Ambrose struck first in the second game.

Gonzalez blooped a double to center to bring in two and Rago followed with an RBI single as part of a three-run second inning.

In the fifth, with the lead down to 3-1, Mason Heitzler singled to bring in both Mason Nauman and Vorwald for a 5-1 lead.

IUSB came back with two runs in the top of the seventh before the Bees closed out the win.

Brandon Cusack got the win by allowing five hits and one run over four innings. Jack Kerpan recorded the save by working the final three innings.

The two teams will compete their four-game series with another doubleheader at Modern Woodmen Park Saturday.