Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's baseball batted .406 (26-for-64) in a doubleheader sweep of Saint Mary's, 16-8 and 5-4, on Saturday, April 8, at Becker Park in Collegeville.

The Johnnies (13-7, 4-2 MIAC) answered a four-run top of the first inning from Saint Mary's (11-12, 1-3 MIAC) in game one with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame and added eight more in the second inning to fuel the 16-8 route. SJU pounded out 18 hits in the victory.

SJU erased a 4-1 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning in game two to earn the sweep. Sophomore outfielder Max Jackson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) started the bottom of the eighth with a single, his third hit of the game, before senior third baseman Derek Schiebel (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) and junior first baseman Jeron Terres (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) each coaxed walks to load the bases. Sophomore designated hitter Thomas Meland (Northfield, Minn.) took one for the team to make it 4-2 before a passed ball during junior outfielder Blake Langerud's (Faribault, Minn./Bethlehem Academy) at-bat cut the Johnnies' deficit to 4-3. Langerud roped a 2-1 pitch up the middle for a two-run, go-ahead single that proved to be the game-winning hit.

Junior Ben Etzell (Greenbank, Wash./Coupeville) allowed one hit in three innings of scoreless relief to earn the win (1-0). Senior Alex Kendall (St. Cloud, Minn./Saint John's Prep) started the game and surrendered four runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked one in the no-decision.

SMU jumped on the Johnnies' game-one starter, junior Nick Noack (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake), with three straight groundball singles before Jake Barry lifted a three-run homer to left-centerfield to make it 4-0 in favor of the visitors.

The Johnnies answered with five consecutive two-out singles to plate four runs in the bottom half of the inning and broke the game wide open with eight runs in the second. With the bases loaded and two outs in the second, freshman outfielder Wyatt Ulrich (Indus, Minn./International Falls) ripped a single up the middle, but the Cardinals' centerfielder misplayed the ball and the speedy Ulrich sprinted all the way around for a four-run at-bat. Ulrich finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and four runs scored in game one alone (5-for-9 with three RBI and five runs scored on the day).

After the rough first inning, Noack allowed only one hit over the next three frames to earn the win and improve to 2-1 on the season. 

In addition to Ulrich, who extended his hit streak to 11 games, Jackson and Langerud posted five hits apiece on the afternoon.

The Johnnies travel to face Hamline (10-14, 3-3 MIAC) for a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday, April 11, at CHS Field in St. Paul.