The Saint John's University baseball team (14-13, 7-3 MIAC) travels to face Saint Mary's (10-19, 3-7 MIAC) this Wednesday, April 21. The doubleheader is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Max Molock Field in Winona. - Live Stats
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's split a doubleheader at Carleton on April 17 in Northfield. The Johnnies allowed 12 runs in the fifth inning of game one's 15-8 loss, then re-grouped to win game two, 13-2. SJU posted 14 extra-base hits on the day, including 12 doubles. The Johnnies broke open a 2-1 lead with five runs in the top of the fifth inning in game one, before everything fell apart. Carleton scored nine of its 12 runs with two outs, after the inning was prolonged due to an error. Senior Matt Johnson (Eagan, Minn.) allowed six runs, four earned (three credited in the fifth inning), in the no-decision. Freshman Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) was saddled with the loss, allowing five runs (all team unearned). Seniors Andrew Aebly (Madison, Wis./Edgewood) and Aaron Hellem (Lincoln, Neb./Pius X) allowed two runs each in relief. Senior outfielder Andrew Gurbada (Royalton, Minn.) went 2-for-3 with two RBI, including a double and his first collegiate home run. Senior first baseman Kyle Henkemeyer (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) and junior shortstop Matt Butorac (Maple Grove, Minn.) each went 2-for-4, as Butorac tallied two doubles.
Sophomore Hayden Zimmerman (New Richmond, Wis.) answered game one's demise with a complete-game victory in game two. He allowed two runs, both unearned, on seven hits with six strikeouts. The win improved his record to 6-1 on the season. He is now 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA in five MIAC appearances (20.1 innings). He has a .213 opponent batting average with 17 strikeouts and just four walks in conference play. The Johnnies cracked eight doubles, including two from sophomore designated hitter Bert Marsnik (Annandale, Minn.) as part of his 3-for-4 game with three runs scored. Junior catcher Brian Skluzacek (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) went 2-for-3 with three RBI, a double and a triple. Butorac, senior second baseman Joe Eiden (Maple Grove, Minn./Totino-Grace) and freshman third baseman Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) all added two hits apiece.
A LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: SMU bounced back from a disappointing 16-3 loss to Augsburg on April 17 with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase an 8-5 Auggie advantage and earn SMU a 9-8 victory and a split. The Cardinals' offense couldn't seem to get out of neutral in the opener as they were limited to just six hits, including two off the bat of Andrew Warren. Warren has started every game and currently leads the team with 30 hits and a .326 batting average. Augsburg scored in each of its first three at-bats to take a 5-2 advantage. The Auggies then put the game out of reach, erupting for seven runs in the fifth inning, before adding four more in the sixth to complete the 16-3 win. It was more of the same early in the second game, as the two teams traded first-inning runs; SMU's coming on an RBI-single by Curt Swanson, before Augsburg plated four in the second to grab a 5-1 advantage. The lead, however, was short-lived, as SMU put together a four-run inning of its own in the third, highlighted by a three-run home run by Ryan Archambault, which allowed SMU to pull even at 5-5. Augsburg regained the upper hand with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth, but again SMU answered back, posting its second four-run inning of the game in their half of the sixth to take the lead for good. Swanson went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored to fuel SMU's 11-hit Game 2 attack, while Warren and Zach Olberding each had two hits in three at-bats.
LAST YEAR'S MEETING: Gurbada's bases-loaded single to center field in the bottom of the eighth inning gave SJU an 8-7 win and a sweep of Saint Mary's on April 15 of last year. Down 6-0 entering the bottom of the third inning of game two, the Johnnies tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Johnnies then loaded the bases in the eighth, for the third time in the game, before Gurbada's two-out single. Butorac went 4-for-5 with a home run and two doubles. The performance was his third four-hit game of the season. Butorac ended the day a combined 5-for-7 with four extra-base hits and five runs scored. Gurbada, Marsnik, Skluzacek and senior outfielder Nathaniel Jimenez (Trinidad, Colo./Holy Trinity) collected two hits apiece as the Johnnies pounded out 15 base hits and left 12 men on base. Johnson pitched three innings of scoreless relief to earn the win (2-2). Aebly earned a complete-game victory in game one, his first start of the season, while scattering five hits and allowing one run. Five different Johnnies each had one hit as SJU padded its 2-1 lead with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
SERIES HISTORY: Since 1993, Saint John's leads the series with a 20-14 record, including an 8-4 mark in Winona. The Johnnies have won each of the last eight meetings overall, outscoring the Cardinals 65-32 in the process.
OH BADA, WHAT A WEEK: Gurbada batted .600 (6-for-10) with a 1.100 slugging percentage and a .643 on-base percentage in the Johnnies' pair of splits last week. He tallied two doubles, four runs scored, five RBI and his first collegiate home run. He was a perfect 3-for-3 with runners in scoring position and was 7-for-7 advancing runners on base. Gurbada currently leads the Johnnies in batting (.440, 11-for-25), slugging percentage (.680) and on-base percentage (.500) thru the first 10 MIAC games (7-3 record).
ZIMMERMAN'S ZING: Zimmerman was named the MIAC Pitcher of the Week on April 19. He answered the Johnnies' loss in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at Carleton with a complete-game victory in game two. Zimmerman allowed just two runs, both unearned, on seven hits with six strikeouts. The win improved his record to 6-1 on the season. He is now 3-0 with a conference-leading 1.77 ERA (min. 20 IP) in five MIAC appearances (20.1 innings). He has a .213 opponent batting average with 17 strikeouts and just four walks in conference play. As a staff, SJU leads the MIAC (conference games only) with a 2.51 ERA and is second to No. 1 St. Thomas in strikeouts (46) and least amount of walks (18). Saint Mary's, on the other hand, has a MIAC-worst 10.38 ERA in 10 conference games.
