Box Score

MINNETONKA, Minn. – Saint John's advanced to the MIAC Playoff Championship game with a 4-2 win over Saint Mary's on Saturday, May 12, in Minnetonka.

The Johnnies (28-13, 14-6 MIAC), who are now one win away from tying the school record for wins in a season (29-8 in 1994) and earning the MIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, face the winner of tonight's Saint Mary's/St. Thomas elimination game on Sunday. The title game is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Minnetonka High School's Veterans Field, followed by a 2:30 p.m. game, if necessary. The SMU/UST winner needs to defeat SJU twice on Sunday to earn the postseason crown.

Despite out-hitting Saint Mary's (22-19, 10-10 MIAC) 5-1 after four innings, the Johnnies found themselves down 2-0. A leadoff walk in the third inning came back to haunt junior southpaw Ryan Spengler (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) as the runner came around to score on a two-out, two-strike single from Kevin Gannon. The Cardinals added another run, unearned, in the fourth.

The Johnnies' frustration finally turned into some runs in the top of the fifth. Sophomore catcher Justin Thompson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) and freshman outfielder Brett Becker (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View) started the inning with singles before freshman outfielder Aaron Pfaff's (New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral) sacrifice-bunt attempt turned into a two-run error to tie the game.

Junior shortstop Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) led off the eighth with a double, just missing a home run with a powerful shot off the left-field wall. Sophomore outfielder Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) followed with a single to advance Forster to third before sophomore third baseman Luke Larson (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) plated what proved to be the game-winning run with a sac fly for his team-leading 31st RBI of the year. Graves came around to score on a two-out single from Thompson to end the scoring at 4-2.

Spengler improved to 6-3 with the victory, allowing two runs, one earned, on only two hits in seven innings of work. He struck out seven and walked five to lower his ERA to 1.49 and opponent batting average to .157 in 54.1 innings pitched this spring.

Cline pitched a scoreless eighth inning and junior second baseman/closer Joey Long (Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan) held the Cardinals in check to earn his 10th save of the season.

Graves continued his wicked streak at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a run scored as the Johnnies out-hit SMU 14-3 in the contest. He is now 8-for-15 with three home runs, five RBI and four runs scored in his last four games (6-for-9 in the MIAC Tournament). Forster, Long and Thompson also added a pair of hits each.

Notes: SJU is now 25-8 against regional opponents…the majority of the game mirrored the Johnnies' doubleheader split at SMU on April 21, in which SJU scored nine runs but left 18 men on base (8-for-24 with runners in scoring position)…SJU batted .167 (2-for-12) with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base in Saturday's victory…the Johnnies have now won 13 of their last 15 meetings with Saint Mary's…SJU is batting .338 (23-for-68) so far in the MIAC Tournament…the Johnnies batted only .213 (48-for-225) in its previous seven MIAC playoff games (1-6 record) entering the 2012 tournament… due to Sunday's game/s, four SJU seniors (Brace Hemmelgarn, Bert Marsnik, Ben Moen, Hayden Zimmerman) will miss the 2 p.m. commencement ceremony back in Collegeville.