Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Saint John's baseball posted a pair of comeback wins, 11-10 and 8-7, to sweep Macalester on Tuesday, April 12, in St. Paul.

SJU (16-8, 4-3 MIAC) erased a six-run deficit (8-2) and scored four runs in the seventh inning to win game one and clawed back from an early four-run deficit, as well as a 7-5 margin in the fifth inning, to win game two.

The Johnnies' pitching staff entered the day ranked 20th out of 375 NCAA Division III teams with a 3.11 ERA, but registered a 9.56 ERA and a .362 opponent batting average Tuesday at Nicholson Field.

SJU jumped out a to 2-0 lead in game one thanks to an RBI single from senior shortstop Logan Hershey (Maple Grove, Minn.) and a sacrifice fly from senior first baseman Patrick Strey (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) in the top of the first inning.

Mac (10-8, 2-6 MIAC) cut its deficit to 2-1 when a leadoff walk came around to score on an RBI double from Nick McMullen, the reigning MIAC Baseball Player of the Week, in the bottom half of the first. 

The Scots followed that with seven runs in the second inning. MAC tied the game on an RBI groundout following a leadoff triple from Alex Baretta and gained a 3-2 lead with a two-out RBI single. The triple was Baretta's third extra-base hit in 36 at-bats this season. A three-run homer from McMullen, followed by a solo shot from Quentin Stuart, made it 7-2 and ended sophomore Ben Etzell's (Greenbank, Wash./Coupeville) afternoon.

Macalester's leadoff hitter went 5-for-5 (home run, triple, three walks) in the first five innings.

Freshman Jake Dickmeyer (Woodbury, Minn.) entered the game and surrendered a Texas-league single, followed by a double off the short, left-field fence and balked to bring another run.

Senior catcher Gabe MacDonald (Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) made it 8-4 with a two-run homer, his third of the season, in the top of the third inning.

MAC answered with a run in the bottom half of the third inning before SJU plated two runs in the top of the fourth. Hershey fouled out to the right-fielder for the second out, but his throw to third missed the mark allowing freshman second baseman Cole Weaver (Carlsbad, Calif./Santa Fe Christian), who was tagging on the play, to score. Junior third baseman Derek Schiebel (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) advanced to second on the errant throw and scored on an RBI single from Strey.

Freshman outfielder Max Jackson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) walked to start the fifth and advanced to third on a double from senior outfielder Mike Stegora (Red Wing, Minn.), his second of the game. Senior outfielder Dan Keller (Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake) brought in Jackson with an RBI groundout but Stegora was stranded at third.

A leadoff, solo home run from Nick Sia off senior Marcus Barone (Eden Prairie, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) made it 10-7 in the bottom of the fifth.

The Johnnies' four-run rally in the seventh started with a single by Keller and a double from sophomore outfielder Pat Lloyd (Le Center, Minn./Tri-City United) before Weaver singled down the left-field line to plate a run. Schiebel brought in Lloyd with a sac fly and Hershey launched a two-run home run, his second of the season, to give SJU the lead with what proved to be the game-winning runs.

Barone retired six straight batters after allowing the leadoff homer in the fifth inning to earn the win and move to 3-0 on the year. Freshman Cameron Jurek (Foley, Minn.) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to pick up his third save.

Mac jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game two thanks to a two-run, two-out triple from Ben Castagnetti. The Scots manufactured another two-out run in the third inning to gain a 4-0 lead, but SJU responded with four runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game. A single to right field, aided by the sun in the fielder's eyes, from Lloyd put SJU on the scoreboard and Keller followed with a three-run blast, his third of the season, to tie the game in the next at-bat.

Stegora gave SJU a 5-4 lead with a base-loaded single in the fifth inning, but a tough-luck lineout double play ended the inning. Lloyd ripped a line drive down the third-base line, but the third baseman make a great diving catch and touched the bag to double off Strey.

The lead was short-lived, however, as the Scots answered with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth to gain a 7-5 lead.

SJU nearly stranded runners on second and third with nobody out in the top of the sixth inning, but Hershey came through with a two-out, two-run single to tie the game. Keller singled to start the inning and Jackson followed with a double.

The Johnnies took advantage of a fielding error and scored the go-ahead run on an infield single from Weaver in the top of the ninth.

Sophomore Nick Noack (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake) pitched 4.2 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win and move to 4-0 on the year. He allowed three hits and struck out five, including the side in the sixth inning.    

Hershey went 6-for-9 at the plate with five RBI and three runs scored on the day. Stegora went 4-for-8 with three doubles, while Keller, Lloyd and Weaver all collected three hits each. Despite the 19 runs scored on the afternoon, SJU still managed to leave 22 men on base and went 1-for-5 with the bases loaded.

SJU has now won 20 of the last 21 regular-season meetings with Mac, including each of the last 10.

The Johnnies return home to host Gustavus Adolphus (9-11, 2-4 MIAC) for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 16, at Saint John's Field in Collegeville.