Box Score

MINNETONKA, Minn. – A classic pitcher's duel opened the double-elimination 2011 MIAC Baseball Tournament. Unfortunately for Saint John's, St. Thomas escaped with a 1-0 win on Friday, May 13, at Veterans Field in Minnetonka.

The nine-inning game lasted only one hour and 34 minutes.

Senior Brett Kramer (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) went all eight innings for SJU (19-13, 13-7 MIAC), allowing seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. He fell to 4-3 with the hard-fought loss and now boasts a 1.44 ERA with 59 strikeouts and a .239 opponent batting average in 62.1 innings (10 starts).

SJU stranded two runners at third base and ripped five line-drive outs in the game. Senior catcher Brian Skluzacek (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) advanced third with two outs in the first, but sophomore first baseman/pitcher Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) struck out to end the inning.

With runners on first and third with one out in the seventh, UST's Kris Edwards caught sophomore third baseman Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) leaning the wrong way at first, threw to second, and the shortstop threw home to get Cline at the plate.

Edwards earned the complete-game shutout for St. Thomas (25-14, 14-4 MIAC), allowing four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Powell led the Johnnies with a pair of hits, including a two-out double in the eighth. Skluzacek and Forster had SJU's other two hits, both singles.

St. Thomas scored its lone run in the bottom of the seventh. Tim Kahle started the inning with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on J.D. Dorgan's second double of the contest.

Three of the Johnnies' last four losses have now been by one run.

SJU will face the loser of Friday night's game between Macalester and Hamline at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 14, in Minnetonka. The game will be broadcast live on WBHR-660 AM and www.gojohnnies.com.