Saint John's returns 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.
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (20-10, 8-4 MIAC) 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 April 21 in Winona. SJU tallied three early runs in the fourth inning of game one. Juniors Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) and Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) each singled and advanced a base on a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Luke Larson (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) knocked a two-run triple and scored on an RBI single from sophomore Tom Druk (Plymouth, Minn./Orono). Cline and Forster singled again to start the fifth and senior Bert Marsnik (Annandale, Minn.) walked to load the bases with nobody out. Sophomore Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) brought in Forster to make it 4-0 and doubled with one out in the seventh before scoring on a two-out single from freshman Aaron Pfaff (New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral). Junior Ryan Spengler (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) earned the win, allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts in six innings pitched. Junior Joey Long (Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan) allowed one hit and struck out two for a scoreless seventh. Saint Mary's jumped on junior Adam Wenker (Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) for six runs on five hits in 1.2 innings. The Johnnies recorded a lone run in the fourth before both teams exchanged two-run half innings in the fifth. 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. Pfaff and Long walked to start the seventh before Cline smacked an RBI single. Junior Scott Schroeder (Richmond, Minn./Rocori) allowed two runs in 2.2 innings, while sophomore Justin Thompson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) allowed one run in 1.2 innings.
EASY AS 1-2-3: SJU's top three pitchers in the rotation (Hayden Zimmerman, Connor Cline, Ryan Spengler) have combined for a 13-7 record with a 2.40 ERA, .192 opponent batting average (88-for-459) and 117 strikeouts in 131 innings pitched (23 starts) so far this season.
CLINE CONTINUES TO RAKE: Cline batted .615 (8-for-13), including a perfect 5-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and drove in five runs as the Johnnies went 3-1 last week. He went 4-for-7 with three RBI in SJU's sweep of Hamline April 18 and 4-for-6 with two RBI and a double in a split at Saint Mary's April 21. Cline took the ball in game two against the Pipers and pitched a virtual shutout, allowing an unearned run in the Johnnies' 6-1 victory. He struck out six and allowed three hits (.136 avg.) in the complete-game effort. Cline is now batting .450 (18-for-40) with 10 RBI in 11 MIAC games and touts a 2-1 record with a 2.50 ERA, .238 opponent batting average and 18 strikeouts in three starts on the mound (18.0 innings).
A LOOK AT THE OLES: St. Olaf (11-20, 4-10 MIAC) swept Carleton 4-1 and 4-3 April 22. Freshman Alex Lampert picked up the complete-game win in game one, allowing four hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Sophomore Chris Paradise was 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-out, two-run single in the Oles' three-run second inning. Adam Johnson drove in the next run with a single to right field. Junior Brady Sand recorded a bases-loaded, RBI-sacrifice fly to break a 3-3 tie with one out in the sixth inning to lead St. Olaf in game two. Junior Kyle Watson earned the win allowing five hits with four strikeouts in 3.1 innings of relief. Junior Adam Johnson leads the Oles with 16 RBI, while senior Dan Lee leads the team in hitting with a .329 batting average. Paradise and sophomore Nick Kulla are tied for the team-lead in hits with 28 apiece. STO is batting .270 as a team with a .343 slugging percentage. The pitching staff, meanwhile, allows a .321 opponent batting average and carries a 5.61 ERA.
LAST YEAR'S GAMES: The Johnnies edged the then-No. 11 Oles 2-1 in nine innings in the first game before falling 8-2 in the finale last April 9 (2011). Brett Kramer '11 allowed one run on eight hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings of work. STO scored its lone run off Kramer in the bottom of the second. Matt Butorac '11 started the sixth with a double and advanced to third on a sac bunt from Forster. Matt Boys '11 recorded an RBI single to tie the game at one. Boys then started the ninth with a double and advanced to third on a passed ball. Following a groundout, junior Alex Powell (Hopkins, Minn.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field which scored Boys to give SJU the 2-1 lead. The Oles jumped on Zimmerman for all eight of their runs, five earned, in the first three innings of game two. Butorac followed a two-out single by Cline with an RBI double to cut the deficit to 8-1. Kramer then ripped an RBI single to end the scoring at 8-2.
SERIES HISTORY: Since 1997, Saint John's is just 9-23 against St. Olaf. Eight of the Johnnies' nine wins have come in Collegeville. Fourteen of the last 19 meetings overall were decided by two runs or less (4-10 record for SJU).
