Box Score
FT. MYERS, Fla. – No. 25 Saint John's baseball ended its spring-break trip with a 16-6 win over Alvernia (Pa.) on Friday, March 6, in Ft. Myers, Fla.
The Johnnies (7-1 overall) cracked 20 hits, including seven for extra bases, in the win and ended the trip with a team batting average of .380.
The Golden Wolves (7-5 overall) gained a 5-0 lead with five runs in the top of the second inning, but SJU chipped away with six runs over the next three innings to tie the game at 6-6. That is, until the floodgates opened with a nine-run sixth inning.
Senior outfielder
Wyatt Ulrich (Indus, Minn./International Falls) entered the trip's finale tied with former teammate
Max Jackson '19 for the SJU record of 132 career runs scored and broke it with his game-tying run (6-6) in the fourth inning. He also scored in the sixth inning and is approaching a number of other SJU records. He is one triple away from
Matt Boys' '11 record of 11, and 10 stolen bases and 24 hits away from both marks held by Jackson (52 stolen bases, 209 hits).
Seniors
Aaron Kloeppner (Dayton, Minn./Champlin Park) and
Hunter Lindquist (Spring Lake Park, Minn./Totino-Grace) each went 4-for-5, while senior shortstop
Michael Gruber (Glenwood, Minn./Minnewaska Area) put an exclamation point on the end of his week with a 3-for-4 performance and four RBI. Lindquist doubled twice, while Kloeppner drove in two and scored three times.
Gruber batted .714 (20-for-28) with six doubles, a triple, four stolen bases, 10 runs scored and 18 RBI in the trip's eight games.
Four other Johnnies also had two hits in Friday's victory.
Junior
Nick Penick (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) earned the win, allowing one run on three hits in three innings of relief. Senior
Stanley Ridgeway (Litchfield, Minn.) pitched a scoreless sixth inning and senior
Joey Stock (Cold Spring, Minn./Saint John's Prep) struck out eight in three scoreless innings for the save. Freshman
Cade Marsolek (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) made his second collegiate start and surrendered five runs on four hits in the first two innings.
The Johnnies travel to Tucson, Ariz., for seven games over four days March 21-24.