Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's baseball salvaged a split with Macalester on Tuesday, May 2, at Becker Park in Collegeville.

Macalester (23-15, 12-8 MIAC) hit three home runs to win game one, 5-1, but SJU (23-11, 12-6 MIAC) battled back and won game two, 5-4 in 10 innings, thanks to freshman shortstop Michael Gruber's (Glenwood, Minn./Minnewaska Area) walk-off RBI single.

SJU needs one win in its final doubleheader of the regular-season this Saturday, May 6, at Concordia-Moorhead (22-15, 11-7 MIAC) to earn a trip to next week's four-team MIAC Playoffs May 11-13 at Cold Spring and Collegeville. The Cobbers, meanwhile, need to wins to reach the postseason since they lose the head-to-head tie-breaker with Macalester (combined record against playoff teams).

The Johnnies batted only .224 (13-for-58) on the afternoon, even with a 5-for-7 performance from freshman outfielder Wyatt Ulrich (Indus, Minn./International), including a 1-for-18 effort with runners in scoring position. The game-winning single from Gruber in game two was the Johnnies' lone base-hit RBI. The other five runs came in on three groundball outs, an error and a wild pitch.

Ulrich extended his hit streak to 25 games with a 1-for-3 effort in game one and a 4-for-4 performance, reaching base safely in all five plate appearances, with two runs scored in game two. He is now batting .523 (56-for-107) this season.

SJU gained its first lead of the day, 4-3, with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning of game two. Junior first baseman Jeron Terres (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) tied the game with a bases-loaded fielder's choice before Ulrich scored from third base on a wild pitch to take the lead.

The Scots took advantage of a walk and single to start the ninth inning to plate a run, but left runners on second and third base. Mac left 14 men on base in game two alone.

Sophomore designated hitter Thomas Meland (Northfield, Minn.) started the bottom half of the 10th inning with a solid single to centerfield, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from senior third baseman Derek Schiebel (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) and scored on a play at the plate on Gruber's single to center. 

The game-winning, walk-off hit is the Johnnies' second in 2017 and 10th in the last three seasons.

Junior Ben Etzell (Greenbank, Wash./Coupeville) earned the win in game two to improve to 3-1 on the season. He allowed a run on three hits in three innings of relief. He also pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings in game one.

Sophomore Jake Dickmeyer (Woodbury, Minn.) suffered his first loss of the season (6-1 record), and career (8-1 record), in game one. He allowed the five runs (three earned) on eight hits in 5.2 innings. He struck out four and walked none.