Saint John's (10-11, 3-1 MIAC) hosts MIAC-leading St. Olaf (11-7, 4-0 MIAC) this Saturday, April 10. The doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Saint John's Field in Collegeville.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's split with No. 1 St. Thomas on April 7, in St. Paul. The Johnnies defeated the Tommies (16-2, 3-1 MIAC) 2-1 in game one, ending their 13-game winning streak, but fell to the home team 3-2 in game two.  Senior Andrew Aebly (Madison, Wis./Edgewood) pitched a gem in game one, scattering six hits while allowing one run, which was unearned. He struck out three walked none in the complete-game victory. A two-out, RBI-single by senior outfielder Andrew Gurbada (Royalton, Minn.) tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning. Sophomore outfielder Jimmy Loonan (Waseca, Minn.) walked to lead-off the fifth and a sacrifice bunt by Gurbada moved him to second. Loonan then advanced to third on a groundout by junior catcher Brian Skluzacek (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) before senior second baseman Joe Eiden (Maple Grove, Minn./Totino-Grace) drove him in for what proved to be the game-winning run. The win snapped a five-game losing streak to UST and served as the Tommies' first loss to an NCAA Division III opponent in 18 games going back to last season. UST's only other loss this season was to NCAA Division I Minnesota (5-4 on March 10). SJU surrendered a 2-0 lead by allowing three runs in the Tommies' fifth inning of game two. The Johnnies received another impressive pitching performance, this time from junior Brett Kramer (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd). Kramer allowed three runs, two earned, on only two UST hits. He struck out six and walked only one in five innings of work. Freshman Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) pitched a scoreless inning of relief. SJU took a 1-0 lead on an RBI-groundout by Loonan in the second inning. The Johnnies extended their lead to 2-0 on bases-loaded double-play ball with nobody out in the third. The Tommies cut the deficit to 2-1 on a wild pitch, and then added two more runs on sac flies.

A LOOK AT THE OLES: St. Olaf swept Gustavus, 7-3 and 3-2, on April 7. In game one of the doubleheader, Carson Jones went 3-for-3 and Jim Blissenbach was 2-for-2 with three RBI as the Oles raced to a 4-0 first-inning lead. Erik Olson went 6 2/3 innings to earn the win on the mound for St. Olaf. Gustavus, which was led by Andrew Woitas' 2-for-3 game, scored twice in the seventh. Olson departed for Ben Hughes, who struck out his first hitter to earn the save.  In game two, St. Olaf managed just three hits, but took advantage of three Gustavus errors for the sweep.  Anders Dzurak scattered nine hits over six innings, striking out three and walking none to get the win, his fourth (4-0) of 2010. Hughes again worked the seventh to earn another save. Senior outfielder Carson Jones returns this spring for the Oles after being named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Midwest Region second team as well as the All-MIAC first team last season. He batted .387 and set school records in runs (70) and hits (70). Jones also collected four home runs, five triples and was a perfect 25-for-25 in stolen-base attempts. Also returning for the Oles is 2009 MIAC Rookie of the Year Erik Nelson. As a freshman, Nelson led the MIAC (conference games only) with a .553 batting average, along with three home runs, seven doubles and 19 RBI.

LAST YEAR'S MEETING: Last year, Saint John's dropped its third consecutive MIAC doubleheader to St. Olaf, 11-2 and 4-1, in Northfield. SJU totaled five hits but made five errors in game one's 11-2 loss. Five different Johnnies recorded one hit apiece. Freshman Bert Marsnik (Annandale, Minn.) went 2-for-3 and sophomore Kyle Henkemeyer (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) went 1-for-2 with an RBI-double, the Johnnies' lone extra-base hit of the day, in game two's loss. Kramer allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings on the hill. Sophomore Dan Beste (Freeport, Minn./Melrose Area) allowed one hit in a scoreless inning of relief.

SERIES RECORD A BIT DECEIVING: Since the 1997, Saint John's is 6-22 against St. Olaf (6-4 in Collegeville). Fifteen of the Johnnies' 22 losses, however, were decided by two runs or less.