Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's and St. Olaf played to a blustery doubleheader split on Sunday, April 13, at Saint John's Field in Collegeville.

The Johnnies (13-4, 5-3 MIAC) out-hit the Oles 13-4 in game one's 7-0 shutout, but made too many mistakes in a 4-3 loss in the nightcap.

SJU took advantage of five hits in a five-run second inning in game one and added two more in the fifth.

The rest belonged to sophomore Patrick Strey (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview), who allowed only four hits with three strikeouts, to no walks, in the seven-inning shutout. He threw 66 pitches, 51 for strikes, to improve to 2-1 on the year.

Eight of the nine Johnnie starters collected a hit and six posted an RBI in game one.

St. Olaf (15-9, 6-2 MIAC) took advantage of a leadoff walk, and a two-out RBI, to find the scoreboard first in the third inning of game two.

SJU took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Oles tied it with two pivotal runs, unearned, in the top of the fifth. With runners on second and third with two outs, STO catcher Jack Schechinger lined what looked to be the final out to centerfield, but the ball slipped out of senior Dylan Graves' (Mora, Minn.) glove for the two-run error.

Junior outfielder Aaron Pfaff (New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral) became the 23rd Johnnie in school history to reach 100 career hits with a leadoff double in the fifth, but was left stranded at third. The Johnnies threatened again in the eighth, with runners on the corners and two out, but senior outfielder Joe Lampe (Osceola, Iowa/Clarke) smoked a lineout to left.

The Oles failed to get the ball out of the infield but still managed to score what proved to be the game-winning run with two outs in the ninth. Junior Jack Hamilton (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) induced a groundball out and a strikeout to retire the first two batters of the inning, before plunking the leadoff hitter on a 0-1 count. STO then recorded back-to-back infield singles to load the bases before Schechinger coaxed a full-count walk to bring in the fourth and final run.

The Oles' Nate Gelle went the distance in game two, allowing the three runs on seven hits.

Hamilton took the loss, allowing one run on three hits in 1.2 innings of relief. Freshman Derek Graves (Mora, Minn.) allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits with four strikeouts (three walks) in seven innings for the no-decision. Senior catcher and closer Justin Thompson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) entered the game in relief of Hamilton to record the eighth inning's final out.

Dylan Graves, sophomore shortstop Logan Hershey (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Lampe all recorded three hits on the day.

The Johnnies are next in action at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at Carleton. That is, unless SJU reschedules its postponed contest against St. Scholastica, or picks up another non-conference game or two, this week. SJU was originally scheduled to make up its postponed doubleheader against Concordia-Moorhead at home this Tuesday, April 15, but the Cobbers will now play this weekend's postponed date (vs. Hamline) in place of it at Saint John's Field.

Notes: SJU's pitching staff recorded a 1.12 ERA and a .186 opponent batting average on the day, lowering its season totals to 2.39 and .233, respectively…Derek Graves (one earned run in 18 innings) and Strey (three earned runs in 20 innings) have combined to allow four earned runs, a 0.95 ERA, in 38 innings pitched this season…SJU has committed eight errors in its four losses this season (13 total in the 13 wins).