The Johnnies (7-6, 1-1 MIAC) play host to St. Thomas (5-10, 1-1 MIAC) for their home opener beginning at 2:30 p.m. today at Saint John's Field in Collegeville.
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's opened its 2011 MIAC schedule with a doubleheader split at Bethel yesterday in Arden Hills. SJU won the first game 6-1 before dropping game two, 15-9. Sophomore Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) gave SJU a 1-0 lead in game one with an RBI single in the third. The Johnnies then added five runs, four unearned, in the sixth inning. Senior Matt Boys (Eden Prairie, Minn./Minnetonka) smacked an RBI double before senior Andrew Hengel (Bemidji, Minn.) and sophomore Alex Powell (Hopkins, Minn.) added back-to-back RBI singles. Senior Brian Skluzacek (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) kept the inning going with an RBI single and another run scored following a single from Cline. Cline ended the game 3-for-4, while Hengel went 2-for-2. Senior Brett Kramer (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) improved to 2-2 on the season with the complete-game victory. He allowed one run off seven hits and struck out six to lower his ERA from 2.76 to 2.31 in 23.1 innings so far this season.
Saint John's took an early 5-0 lead in the first inning of game two. BU starting pitcher Matt Rowley walked in two runs, gave up an RBI single to sophomore Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) and a sacrifice fly to Hengel. Powell capped the scoring with an RBI single. The lead didn't last long, however, as Bethel tied the game with five runs off three hits of its own in the bottom half of the inning. Senior Matt Butorac (Maple Grove, Minn.) tied Jed Riegelman (2001-04) as SJU's all-time leader in doubles with an RBI two-bagger to give the lead back to SJU in the second. BU re-gained the lead right back with three runs in the second, before SJU flipped it back with RBI doubles from Hengel and Skluzacek in the top of the third. Bethel tied it at 9-9 with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Butorac started the fourth with his record-breaking double, the 35th of his career, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. That is where he stayed, however, as the Johnnies failed to bring him in. It was clear the momentum shifted, as Bethel scored five runs in the bottom half of the inning. SJU ended its scoring with an unearned run in the fifth. Junior Hayden Zimmerman (New Richmond, Wis.) took the loss, allowing 12 runs on 10 hits. He walked five, hit one batsman and struck out three in three innings of work. He left in the fourth with no outs and the bases loaded. All three came around to score.
A LOOK AT THE TOMMIES: St. Thomas opened its conference season with a split at Carleton last Saturday. The Knights won game one 6-3 before UST rallied for a 3-2 win in game two. Between the two of them, senior Drew Cremisino and junior Charles Bruchu lead the team in nearly every batting category. Cremisino comes to Collegeville batting .420 with a team-leading 21 hits, two home runs, 34 total bases, a .680 slugging percentage and a .483 on-base percentage. Bruchu, meanwhile, leads the squad with 14 runs scored and six doubles. Both are tied for the team-lead with 13 RBI. Ten of the Tommies' 11 pitchers have an ERA over 4.26 so far this season, as opponents are batting .304 at the plate.
LAST YEAR: SJU split its regular-season series with a pair of one-run games last year before falling to the Tommies 5-0 in the MIAC Tournament. Andrew Aebly 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 Andrew Gurbada tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning before Joe Eiden drove in what proved to be the game-winning run in the fifth.
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 Kramer, who allowed three runs, two earned, on only two UST hits. He struck out six and walked only one in five innings of work. Cline pitched a scoreless inning of relief. The Tommies cut the deficit to 2-1 on a wild pitch and then added two more runs on sac flies.
