Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Post-Game Interviews:
-Zimmerman, Forster, Cline & Groth (1:05)
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's locked up the No. 2 seed in next weekend's four-team MIAC Tournament, its third consecutive appearance, with a doubleheader sweep of Macalester on Wednesday, May 2, in Collegeville.
The Johnnies (25-12, 13-5 MIAC) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning en route to a 7-2 win in game one. Juniors Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) and Joey Long (Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan) combined for a one-hitter and SJU rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 2-1 victory in game two.
Long started the four-run inning in game one with a walk, followed by a single from Cline. Junior Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) reached on catcher's interference to load the bases before sophomore Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) singled to center to put the home team ahead, 1-0. Sophomore Luke Larson (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) lifted a sacrifice fly to left to make it 2-0 and sophomore Josh Groth (Fridley, Minn.) brought in two more with a double to left field. The double, Groth's first of the year, chased starter Nick Meerson in favor of Nathan Kelleher-Crew.
Macalester (19-20, 9-11 MIAC) erased the goose egg with a single run in the fourth. Ross Bronfenbrenner started the inning with a double, stole third and scored when sophomore Justin Thompson's (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) throw from behind the plate skipped past third.
The Johnnies answered right back with a run in their half of the inning. Kelleher-Crew retired his first seven batters in relief of Meerson before Larson ripped a double over the right-fielder's head to lead off the bottom of the fourth and advanced to third on Groth's single up the middle. Thompson brought him in with a sac fly, extending the lead to 5-1. Forster singled in the fifth, stole second and scored on Larson's second double of the game.
The Scots added an unearned run in the sixth. Freshman Brett Becker (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View) singled and stole second before scoring on a two-out hit from Long to end the scoring in the bottom of the sixth.
Senior Hayden Zimmerman (New Richmond, Wis.) allowed the two runs, one earned, on five hits to improve to 6-2 on the season. He struck out five and walked none to lower his ERA to 1.86 in 63 innings pitched. Zimmerman is now fourth in school history in career wins (17), innings pitched (192.2) and strikeouts (145).
Groth and Larson tallied two hits and two RBI apiece to lead the SJU bats.
The bats cooled, however, for both teams in game two. Mac's Chase Kahn battled out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and struck out the side following a leadoff double from Forster in the fourth. Cline, meanwhile, cruised through five no-hit innings until the sixth. He looked to have struck out Garrett Salzman with two close pitches, but the senior catcher won the seven-pitch at-bat with a single up the middle. His pinch runner, Scott Foltz, took second on a passed ball and made it to third on a sac bunt from Nick Mar. Joe Famalette brought him in, unearned, on a sac fly to left to give the visitors their first lead of the day, 1-0.
The Johnnies put Kahn in a tough spot with the bases loaded right away in the seventh. Long reached on a fielding error at second, followed by back-to-back singles from Cline and Forster. Long scored on an infield single from Larson to tie the game with one out before Groth plated what proved to be the game-winning run with a pinch-hit single to center.
Long pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to seal the win and record his eighth save of the season. He now has a 0.90 ERA and six saves in 10 MIAC relief appearances. Cline improved to 7-4 on the year, allowing the lone hit with eight strikeouts. He now has a 2.69 ERA and a .205 opponent batting average in a team-leading 63.2 innings pitched.
Forster, Groth and Larson combined for a 9-for-13 day with four doubles and six RBI.
SJU wraps up its regular-season schedule at Augsburg this Sunday, May 6. Game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Parade Stadium in Minneapolis.
