Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Saint John's outlasted the pitching duel in game one and split with nationally-ranked St. Olaf on Saturday, April 9, in Northfield. The Johnnies (9-8, 3-3 MIAC) edged the No. 11 Oles (17-4, 5-1 MIAC) 2-1 in nine innings in the first game before falling to the home team by an 8-2 margin in the finale.
Senior Matt Boys (Eden Prairie, Minn./Minnetonka) started the ninth with a double and advanced to third on a passed ball. Following a groundout, sophomore Alex Powell (Hopkins, Minn.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, which scored Boys and gave SJU a 2-1 lead.
Freshman Joey Long (Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan) allowed one hit in the bottom half of the inning but struck out Jack Schechinger looking to end the game. He pitched two scoreless innings of relief, allowing three hits with four strikeouts to earn the win (2-0).
Senior Brett Kramer (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) allowed one run on eight hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings of work. His counterpart, Ben Hughes, allowed one run off five hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings for St. Olaf.
Kramer now has a 2.08 ERA with 32 strikeouts and a .248 opponent batting average in 30.1 innings so far this season.
STO scored its lone run off Kramer in the bottom of the second. Senior Matt Butorac (Maple Grove, Minn.) started the sixth with a double, his second of the game, and advanced to third on a sac bunt from sophomore Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins). Boys gave the Johnnies the lead with a two-out, RBI single.
The Oles jumped on junior Hayden Zimmerman (New Richmond, Wis.) for all eight of their runs, five earned, in the first three innings.
Butorac followed a two-out single by sophomore Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) with an RBI double, his third two-bagger of the afternoon, to cut the deficit to 8-1. Kramer then ripped an RBI single to end the scoring at 8-2.
Thirteen of Butorac's 17 hits this season have been for extra bases, including 12 doubles (.525 slugging percentage). All six of his hits in conference play are extra-base knocks (five doubles, one triple).
Sophomore Scott Schroeder (Richmond, Minn./Rocori), freshman Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) and sophomore Jake Blair (Ripon, Wis.) combined for 3.2 scoreless innings of relief with three hits allowed.
The Johnnies return to action next Saturday, April 16, against Carleton. The MIAC doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Saint John's Field in Collegeville.
