Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Photos (Michael Hemmelgarn)

TUCSON, Ariz. – Saint John's rode the arms of senior Hayden Zimmerman (New Richmond, Wis.) and junior Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) to a pair of shutout victories (7-0 and 6-0) over Bethany Lutheran on Monday, March 5.

Junior shortstop Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) went 6-for-8 with a double, triple, home run and two RBI on the day. He fell a double short of the cycle in game two's 6-0 win.

The Johnnies (4-2, 0-0 MIAC) took advantage of three hit batsmen and a walk to score three runs in the second inning of game one. Junior Joey Long (Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan) started the fourth with a leadoff double and came around to score on an RBI single from senior Ben Moen (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall). Forster and sophomore Tom Druk (Plymouth, Minn./Orono) extended the inning, and SJU's lead, with RBI singles.

Senior Bert Marsnik (Annandale, Minn.) ended the scoring with an RBI single in the fifth. Long, Marsnik and sophomore Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) finished 2-for-4, while Druk went 2-for-3.

Zimmerman allowed three hits and struck out six in six innings of work. Sophomore Tony Gazich (Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View) pitched a scoreless seventh to preserve the shutout.

SJU gained a 2-0 lead with RBI singles from Marsnik and Druk in the third inning of game two. Forster blasted a two-out, solo homer (with a 3-0 count) in the fifth.

Freshman Billy Gregg (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) led off the sixth with a double and scored on a single from Long. Senior Brace Hemmelgarn (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) cleared the bases with a two-run triple to end the scoring.

Cline allowed three infield hits (four hits total) and matched his career high with eight strikeouts. Freshman Collin Felhaber (North St. Paul, Minn.) pitched a scoreless seventh inning in his SJU debut.

Cline and Zimmerman each have a 1.12 ERA in 16 innings on the mound this season. Cline, however, leads the team with 16 strikeouts and a .130 opponent batting average. Zimmerman is close behind with a .167 opponent batting average. The Johnnies' pitching staff currently boasts a 1.09 ERA and a .151 opponent batting average in 41.1 innings pitched (six games) so far this season.

SJU returns to the diamond with a pair of nine-inning games on Tuesday, March 6. The Johnnies are scheduled to take on NAIA William Penn (Iowa) at 10 a.m. MST, followed by a 2 p.m. contest against Rockford (Ill.).