Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's ended its regular season with a doubleheader split with Carleton on Tuesday, May 7, in Collegeville.
The Johnnies (18-15, 9-9 MIAC) cracked nine extra-base hits, including two home runs from junior Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) and a three-run shot from junior Josh Groth (Fridley, Minn.) in a 16-3 rout in game one. The well went dry, however, in game two as SJU totaled only six hits and committed three errors in a 9-4 loss in game two. Five of the nine runs allowed were unearned.
The doubleheader was delayed an hour and 43 minutes because umpires were not assigned by the league office.
Graves gave the home team an early 3-0 lead with a three-run shot in the first inning of game one and added a solo shot in the third inning. The multi-homer game is the third of his collegiate career. Senior Alex Powell (Hopkins, Minn.) drove in another run in the third with an RBI double.
SJU added two more in the fourth, six runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth. Graves, Powell and junior Luke Larson all had three hits. Sophomore Aaron Pfaff (New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral) went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored, while senior Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) was 2-for-3 with four runs scored. Graves and Groth combined for nine RBI.
Senior Ryan Spengler (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech), the reigning MIAC Pitcher of the Week following his complete-game, nine-inning shutout May 5, earned the win on one day of rest. He allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts.
Carleton (16-18, 6-12 MIAC) jumped on sophomore Tyler Delwiche (Andover, Minn./Totino-Grace) for six runs, four earned, in 3.1 innings. The Knights built a 9-0 lead until the sixth inning when senior Joey Long (Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan) brought in Cline with a sacrifice fly and Graves scored on a wild pitch. SJU had runners on second and third with no outs in the fourth inning but did not score.
Sophomore Brett Becker (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View) ended the scoring with a two-run homer to right field, the first of his collegiate career, in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Thaddeus Gregory earned the complete-game win for Carleton, allowing the four runs on six hits. He held SJU, which totaled 17 hits in game one, to only three hits through the first five innings. Eight of the Knights' 13 hits in game two were infield/groundball singles.
Junior Justin Thompson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) allowed three unearned runs in 1.2 innings, while Long and sophomore Collin Felhaber (North St. Paul, Minn.) combined for two scoreless innings of relief. Long ended David Stillerman's perfect day at the plate (4-for-4) with a strikeout to start the seventh, then struck out Hayden Tsutsui looking before ending the half-inning with a groundout to short.
The Johnnies will keep an eye on the scoreboard the next two days to see if they will earn a bid to this weekend's six-team MIAC Tournament, which is based on conference winning percentage. St. Thomas has clinched the top seed, while Gustavus Adolphus is 10-8 (.556). SJU is currently part of a five-way tie at .500. The Johnnies own the head-to-head tie-breaker with Bethel and Augsburg, but lose the same tie-breaker with Concordia-Moorhead and Hamline.
