Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
WINONA, Minn. – Saint John's jumped out to a commanding 5-1 win in the first game of its doubleheader at Saint Mary's but settled for a split with a 9-4 loss in the nightcap on Saturday, April 21, in Winona.
The Johnnies posted 18 hits but left 18 men on base and were 1-for-6 with the bases loaded in the doubleheader.
SJU (20-10, 8-4 MIAC) posted an early lead with three runs in inning four of game one. Juniors Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) and Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) singled to start the inning and advanced a base on a sacrifice bunt from senior Bert Marsnik (Annandale, Minn.). Sophomore Luke Larson (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) greeted his former teammates with a two-run triple and scored on an RBI single from classmate Tom Druk (Plymouth, Minn./Orono).
Cline and Forster started the fifth inning with singles and Marsnik walked to load the bases with nobody out. SMU (16-15, 5-7 MIAC) induced a groundball and recorded an out at home before sophomore Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) brought in Forster to make it 4-0. Graves doubled with one out in the seventh and scored on a two-out single from freshman Aaron Pfaff (New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral) to end the scoring for SJU.
The Cardinals plated their lone run on a groundout in the sixth inning. Junior Ryan Spengler (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) improved to 4-2 with the win, allowing one run on only three hits with six strikeouts in six innings of work. He is now 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a .153 opponent batting average in three MIAC starts (17.0 innings). Junior Joey Long (Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan) allowed one hit and struck out two for a scoreless seventh inning.
Cline and Pfaff tallied three hits apiece, while Forster and Graves added two each as the Johnnies out-hit SMU, 12-4.
Saint Mary's jumped on junior Adam Wenker (Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) for six runs on five hits in just 1.2 innings pitched. Wenker walked four and threw three wild pitches to fall to 3-2 on the year.
SJU found the scoreboard with a lone run in the fourth before both teams exchanged two-run half innings in the fifth. Cline and Forster both walked to start the fourth, and advanced a base on a sac bunt from sophomore Josh Groth (Fridley, Minn.), before Cline came in to score on a groundout from Larson.
Freshmen Billy Gregg (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) and Brett Becker (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View) singled to start the fifth. A fielder's choice from Pfaff put runners at the corners with one out before Long doubled to plate Gregg. A sac fly from Cline brought in Pfaff to cut the Johnnies' deficit in half, 6-3.
The Cardinals added two in the bottom half of the inning and another scored in the sixth. Pfaff and Long walked to start the seventh before Cline greeted the new reliever with an RBI single. The threat was short-lived, however, as Forster lined out to third and Groth hit into a double play to end the game.
Junior Scott Schroeder (Richmond, Minn./Rocori) allowed two runs, his first earned runs of the season, in 2.2 innings of relief, while sophomore Justin Thompson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) allowed one run in 1.2 innings.
Cline ended the day 4-for-6, extending his current hitting streak to six games, and added two runs and two RBI. He is now batting .450 (18-for-40) with 10 RBI in conference play, including a .615 average (8-for-13) and five RBI in his last four games.
The Johnnies return home to host St. Olaf this Tuesday, April 24. The doubleheader is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Saint John's Field in Collegeville.
