Game 1 Box Score |
Game 2 Box Score
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's baseball batted only 1-for-17 (.059) with runners in scoring position in a doubleheader split with St. Olaf on Wednesday, April 20, in Collegeville.
The Johnnies (20-9, 8-4 MIAC) struggled at the plate in game one's 6-2 loss before the bats woke up in game two's 7-5 victory.
St. Olaf (8-17, 2-8 MIAC) entered the day with the lowest batting average in the MIAC (.255) and the second-worst fielding percentage (.938). The Oles, however, batted .373 (25-for-67) and committed only one error on the day.
STO gained a 2-0 lead on a two-out double from Sam Stuckmayer that bounced just inside the right-field line. The Johnnies cut their deficit in half when senior outfielder
Dan Keller (Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake) doubled with two outs in the bottom of the second inning before freshman first baseman
Cameron Jurek (Foley, Minn.) tripled in the next at-bat, the Johnnies' lone hit with a runner in scoring position on the afternoon.
The Oles posted three straight singles with two outs to plate a run in the fourth inning and took advantage of the wind blowing out to right-field to score three runs in the fifth. Twelve of the team's 27 balls put in play went to the right side in game one.
The Keller-Jurek combination started a mini rally in the seventh with a single and double, respectively, before freshman outfielder
Max Jackson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) ended the scoring with an RBI groundout.
Senior
Patrick Strey (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) took the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits in four innings. Senior
Marcus Barone (Eden Prairie, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) allowed three runs on four hits in an inning of relief, while sophomore
Ted Christian (Le Center, Minn./Tri-City United) allowed one hit in the final two innings.
Jurek, Keller, Strey and senior shortstop
Logan Hershey (Maple Grove, Minn.) recorded two hits apiece to account for all of SJU's eight hits.
Junior third baseman
Derek Schiebel (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) gave the home team a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly in both the first and third innings. The Oles, however, answered with two runs in the fourth.
Freshman outfielder
Jack Wingerd (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) gave the lead back to SJU with an RBI double in the fourth inning before a pair of Johnnies flexed their muscles with key home runs. Senior catcher
Gabe MacDonald (Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) launched a two-run shot, on a full count with two outs, to make it 5-2 in the sixth inning. The home run was his fourth of the season and ninth of his SJU career. MacDonald also threw out a potential base-stealer in game one and picked off a baserunner at first base in game two.
The Oles got a run back in the seventh, but Jackson led off the bottom half of the inning with his second home run and Hershey added a sac fly. STO tallied a run in the top of the ninth but left runners at second and third to end the game.
Junior
Alex Kendall (St. Cloud, Minn./Saint John's Prep) improved to 5-2 with the win, allowing three runs on eight hits in six innings. Sophomore
Ben Etzell (Greenbank, Wash./Coupeville) posted a 1-2-3 seventh inning of relief before laboring in the eighth. The Oles loaded the bases with nobody out but scored only one run in the eighth.
Jurek allowed a run on two hits to earn his fourth save of the season.
Jackson and Wingerd registered three hits apiece in game two, while MacDonald tallied the two-run homer and a double.
The Johnnies travel to face Augsburg for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 23, at Parade Stadium in Minneapolis.
