Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's swept St. Olaf for the first time since 1998, 6-5 and 5-3, on Saturday, April 10 in Collegeville.
SJU (12-11, 5-1 MIAC) erased a 3-0 deficit with a five-run fifth inning, all with two outs, in game one. A two-run single by sophomore Bert Marsnik (Annandale, Minn.), followed by a three-run bomb from freshman third baseman Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins), accounted for all five runs. The homer was Forster's second of the season.
Senior first baseman Kyle Henkemeyer (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) added an RBI-double in the sixth, which proved to be the game-winning run.
Senior Matt Johnson (Eagan, Minn.) allowed five runs, three earned, on nine hits thru 5.1 innings. Freshman Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) gave up two hits in 0.2 innings to earn his first collegiate victory. Sophomore Hayden Zimmerman (New Richmond, Wis.) pitched a scoreless seventh to tally his third save of the season.
Senior second baseman Joe Eiden (Maple Grove, Minn./Totino-Grace) led SJU with a 2-for-3 performance and two runs scored from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. Six others had a hit each.
Following his save in game one, Zimmerman went on to pitch a complete-game victory in game two, allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out seven. The win improves his record to 5-1 on the season.
A sacrifice fly from Marsnik tied the game at 1-1 after one inning, but the Oles (11-9, 4-2 MIAC) re-gained the lead at 2-1 in the second. The Johnnies added two runs, both unearned, to take a 3-2 lead in the third inning. Junior outfielder Matt Boys (Eden Prairie, Minn./Minnetonka) slapped an RBI-triple to right center and the second run scored on a double-play ball that would have ended the inning.
The lead did not last long, however, as St. Olaf tied the game in the next half inning.
Junior catcher Brian Skluzacek ripped an RBI-single thru the right side to give SJU a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning. The Johnnies added another run two batters later on a bases-loaded double play.
Like game one, six different Johnnie batters collected a hit each.
The sweep was the first for SJU over St. Olaf since April 11, 1998, in Collegeville (5-4, 10-0). The 10-0 victory also happens to be the Johnnies' last no-hitter (Andy Schneider).
Since the 1997, Saint John's is now 8-22 against St. Olaf (8-4 in Collegeville). Fourteen of the last 18 meetings have been decided by two runs or less (3-11 record for SJU).
The Johnnies stay at home to host Concordia-Moorhead this Tuesday, April 13. The doubleheader is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Saint John's Field in Collegeville.
