William Penn Box Score | William Penn Photos (Michael Hemmelgarn) | Rockford Box Score | Rockford Photos (Michael Hemmelgarn)
TUCSON, Ariz. – Saint John's came through with key hits when it mattered the most in a pair of wins on Tuesday, March 6, in Tucson, Ariz. The Johnnies started the day with a 7-4 win over NAIA William Penn (Iowa) and capped the afternoon with a 9-7 win over Rockford (Ill.). Both games were scheduled nine-inning tilts.
SJU (6-2, 0-0 MIAC) jumped out to a 2-0 lead against William Penn with a pair of two-out, unearned runs in the first inning. A fielding error at second base extended the inning and loaded the bases for junior shortstop Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins), who came through with a two-run single. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Statesmen cracked five hits and plated four runs in the top of the second inning.
The Johnnies regained the lead for good with three runs in the third. Senior designated hitter Bert Marsnik (Annandale, Minn.) singled with one out and advanced to second when Forster walked on four pitches. Sophomore outfielder Tom Druk (Plymouth, Minn./Orono) ripped a 2-2 pitch to the right-center gap for a two-run triple. He scored on a groundout from sophomore outfielder Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) to make it 5-4.
Sophomore third baseman Luke Larson (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) drove in a run with a sac fly in the sixth and added another RBI with a single in the eighth.
The bottom three in the order (Druk, Graves and freshman catcher Billy Gregg) combined to go 6-for-12 with three RBI and three runs scored in the game.
Junior Adam Wenker (Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) settled down after the four-run second and scattered three hits over the next three innings. He allowed 10 hits and struck out four in five innings to improve to 2-0 on the young season. Sophomore Justin Thompson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) allowed two hits and struck out four to earn the four-inning save in his SJU pitching debut.
A trio of Johnnies captured career firsts in the 9-7 win over Rockford later in the day. Junior second baseman Matt Chuppe (Bismarck, N.D./St. Mary's Central), sophomore third baseman Josh Groth (Fridley, Minn.) and freshman outfielder Aaron Pfaff (New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral) collected their first collegiate hits, while junior Ryan Spengler (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) earned his first SJU win on the mound. Pfaff collected hits in each of his first three at-bats, including a two-out, RBI triple in the fourth inning.
Groth knocked in junior Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson), the first of Cline's four runs scored in the game, on a fielder's choice in the top of the first inning.
Rockford tied the game with an unearned run in the second, but SJU added a single run in both the third and fourth innings. Groth drove in Pfaff with an RBI single, while Pfaff plated Cline on the fourth-inning triple.
The Regents cut the lead to 3-2 with another unearned run in the fifth before the Johnnies answered with three runs, one earned, in the sixth. Chuppe started the inning with a double to right-center. Rockford cut the deficit to 6-5 with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. With a runner on second and nobody out, freshman Collin Felhaber (North St. Paul, Minn.) entered in relief and kept RC scoreless on seven pitches, including a pair of strikeouts looking to end the inning with the lead intact.
Junior first baseman Charlie Perrine (Edina, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) came through with a clutch two-out, two-run single in the eighth. Perrine scored from first on a deep double from Larson in the very next at-bat.
Rockford added a pair of runs off junior Joey Long (Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan) in the eighth before he posted a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the win for SJU.
Cline ended the game 2-for-4 with four runs scored, while Pfaff went 3-for-5 with two RBI.
Spengler allowed two unearned runs on just two hits, while striking out eight, in five innings to earn the victory.
The Johnnies take on Presentation (S.D.) for an 11 a.m. MST doubleheader on Wednesday, March 7.
