Saint John's hosts Bethany Lutheran for a noon doubleheader on Sunday, March 21, at Becker Park in Collegeville. - Live Stats/Live Video 

SCHEDULE CHANGES: Saint John's baseball announced a pair of schedule changes regarding this weekend's home-and-home series with Bethany Lutheran. The 1 p.m. doubleheader scheduled for Saturday, March 20, in Mankato has been canceled due to the early week storm that left a foot of snow in southern Minnesota. SJU's home doubleheader against the Vikings scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, March 21, has been moved up to a noon start at Becker Park.

SJU'S SPECTATOR POLICY: Spectators will be limited to SJU baseball parents first, then CSB/SJU students and staff (with a CSB/SJU ID) on a first-come, first-served basis for the remaining seats available. The baseball parents will receive an online document for pre-registration.

-No fans from the opposing team will be allowed at this time. This policy will be revisited in early April.

-Spectators allowed in Becker Park may sit in groups of 4. Available seating areas will be labeled.

-The area above the dugouts in Becker Park are reserved for the student-athletes (for additional social distance seating).

-No tailgating or gatherings in the parking lot or around the stadium will be allowed before, during or after the game/s.

Click here for SJU's spectator policy.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (5-0 overall) scored 31 runs in 11 innings of play in a doubleheader sweep of Northland (Wis.), 18-1 and 13-0, Wednesday afternoon (March 17) at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The Johnnies batted .466 (27-for-58) on the afternoon with 11 doubles and two triples, while the pitching staff struck out 17 and the defense provided errorless play. SJU scored a run or more in nine of the 11 innings.

SJU totaled 19 hits, including 10 for extra bases (nine doubles and one triple), in game one. Each starter in the lineup had at least one hit. 

The lone run for Northland scored in the sixth inning of game one on a sacrifice fly, thanks to a leadoff double.

The Johnnies took advantage of seven walks - and an eight-run third inning - win take game two, 13-0. The contest ended in the fifth inning with 12 minutes to spare (of the venue's five-hour time limit).

Freshman Griffin Larson (Edina, Minn.), sophomore Matt Herold (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View), sophomore Alex Otto (Monticello, Minn.) and freshman Kody Dalen (Carver, Minn./Chanhassen) combined for the four-hit shutout.

Sophomore designated hitter Max Nyrop (Alameda, Calif.) led the Johnnies' bats by going 5-for-6 with five RBI and four runs scored. He is batting .643 (9-for-14) with two home runs, nine RBI and six runs so far this season.

Sophomores Matt Hayford (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes) and Zach Selchow (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview), and freshman Rodney Erickson (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) added three hits apiece.

The Johnnies batted .489 (23-for-47) with runners on base and .486 (17-for-35) with runners in scoring position in the two wins.

HITS AND RUNS, OH MY: The Johnnies were hot from the plate on Tuesday, scoring a total of 31 runs off 27 hits. The last time SJU scored over 30 runs in a doubleheader was the 2018 season opener: 38 runs and 38 hits in a sweep - 17-2 and 21-0 - of Finlandia (Mich.) in Ft. Myers, Fla. SJU cracked 30 or more hits in a single doubleheader twice more during that 2018 season (31 vs. Oberlin and 30 vs. Allegheny). 

SETTING THEM DOWN: Sophomore southpaw Sam Hanson (Sartell, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral) struck out a career-high 12 and surrendered four singles in five shutout innings for Wednesday's game-one win. The 12 strikeouts were the most by a Johnnie since Tyler Delwiche '15 - also a lefty - recorded 12 strikeouts on March 20, 2015, against Concordia (Wis.) in Tucson, Ariz.

A LOOK AT THE VIKINGS: Bethany Lutheran (1-4 overall) used a valiant comeback in game two to salvage a split with St. Olaf on Tuesday (following SJU's doubleheader) at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Oles scored five runs in the sixth inning to win game one 7-1 and erased a 4-3 deficit with three runs in the fifth inning to gain a 6-4 lead. The Vikings, however, plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extras and earned the win with a two-out, RBI double from junior Carter Wendlandt in the bottom of the eighth. Wendlandt leads BLC, which is batting .189 (27-for-143) on the year, with five hits (5-for-15). The pitching staff has a 5.45 ERA and 46 strikeouts, to 14 walks, in 38 innings.

LAST WEEK: SJU swept Bethany Lutheran with a pair of 2-1, 8-inning wins last Wednesday (March 10) at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Game 1
Junior catcher Ethan Roe (Golden Valley, Minn./Blake) gave SJU a 1-0 lead in game one with his fourth home run of the young season (in seven at-bats) with two outs in the top of the fourth inning. 

Bethany Lutheran tied the game in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a leadoff double and three consecutive walks with two outs.

Sophomore shortstop Matt Hayford (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes) singled to start the eighth inning and advanced to second on a passed ball. He then moved up to third when sophomore second baseman Owen Dauk (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) singled for his first collegiate hit with one out, and advanced to second on the throw. Hayford scored the go-ahead run on another passed ball.  

Senior pitcher Nick Penick (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) did not allow a baserunner in two scoreless innings of relief, including three strikeouts to seal the win in the bottom of the eighth, to earn the victory. 

Junior Nathan Brandecker (South St. Paul, Minn.) started the game and allowed one run on two hits in 4.2 innings. He struck out four and walked three. Otto relieved Brandecker in a tight spot, the bases loaded, and issued the run-scoring walk. He settled down to end the inning and tossed a scoreless sixth.

Game 2
The Johnnies used a pair of solo home runs to win game two and complete the doubleheader sweep.

Down 1-0 with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Nyrop tied the game with his second homer of the season and third in nine collegiate at-bats. 

Freshman outfielder Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) played the hero role with a walk-off homer to right-center to start the bottom of the eighth. The blast was his first collegiate hit, in his first collegiate start.

Dalen allowed one hit and struck out five in two scoreless innings of relief to pick up the victory.

SJU was held hitless until Hayford recorded an infield single with one out in the bottom of the sixth.

Sophomore southpaw Casey Trapp (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) made his second collegiate start and gave up two hits in three scoreless innings. He struck out four and walked two. 

Sophomore Cade Marsolek (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) surrendered the lone BLC run on two hits in three innings. Marsolek set down the first six batters he faced until the Vikings' Reed Brown led off the sixth inning with a single, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on an RBI single.

The two teams combined to go 2-for-39 (.051) with runners on base and 2-for-23 (.087) with runners in scoring position.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 5-2 all-time against the Vikings on the diamond and 4-0 since the 2012 season.