Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's baseball earned a trip to its 11th consecutive MIAC Tournament with a doubleheader sweep of Hamline, 18-7 (7 inn.) and 12-2 (8 inn.), on Sunday, May 16, at Becker Park.

SJU (29-11, 16-9 MIAC) plays host to Bethel (23-15, 14-11 MIAC) for a single-elimination game in the first round of the MIAC Tournament at 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, in Collegeville.

The Johnnies' offense erupted for the 30 runs and a .485 batting average (32-for-66), including 11 extra-base hits, in the two games.

Five Johnnies batted .500 or better on the day, led by sophomore first baseman Zach Selchow's (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) 5-for-7 performance with seven RBI and five runs scored. 

Freshman center fielder Rodney Erickson (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) went 6-for-9 with five runs scored from the leadoff spot, while freshman left fielder Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) totaled 12 bases, going 6-for-10 with four doubles and a triple, and crossed the plate five times. Erickson recorded his first collegiate four-hit game in the opener. Schleper's three doubles in game two – one in each the sixth, seventh (ground-rule) and eighth (ground-rule) innings - tied the school record set by Brian Skluzacek '11 in 2011.

Junior right fielder Soren Roe (Golden Valley, Minn./Blake), sophomore shortstop Matt Hayford (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes) and sophomore designated hitter Max Nyrop (Alameda, Calif.) collected four hits apiece. Nyrop drove in six and hit his ninth home run of the season (10th of his career), and Roe cracked two doubles and a triple. Nyrop's 48 RBI tie him with Patrick Strey '16 for second-most in an SJU season, four behind Ryan Roder's 52 in 1997.

Game 1
SJU scored a run or more in all six innings in game one. Each Johnnie in the lineup except for freshman third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) drove in at least one run. Becker, instead, walked four times and scored twice.

The Johnnies built a 5-0 lead after two innings before Tyler Johnson launched a three-run homer for Hamline (14-26, 6-15 MIAC) in the top of the third. SJU, however, proceeded to score 13 straight runs. The Pipers plated four in the top of the seventh inning, but the run differential was still outside the 10-run rule.

Freshman Kody Dalen (Carver, Minn./Chanhassen) improved to 7-0 on the year with the win in relief. He allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and struck out five in 3.1 innings.

Sophomore Hunter Ault (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View) picked up the final two outs to end the game.

Sophomore southpaw Casey Trapp (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) made the start and allowed three runs on five hits in 3.0 innings.

Game 2
Offense was at a premium through the first five innings, until SJU scored the game's final 10 runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth.

Becker started the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the third inning, but HU gained a 2-1 lead with a pair of RBI, bloop singles in the fifth.

Soren Roe tied the game with a two-out, RBI single in the bottom half of the fifth and the Johnnies took the lead for good with three runs in the sixth. Hayford ripped a two-run double over the left fielder's head and scored on Becker's second sac fly of the game. Becker also laid down a sac bunt in the fifth.

Selchow smoked a two-run single in the seventh, as part of a five-run inning, and ended the game with another in the eighth.

Junior Nathan Brandecker (South St. Paul, Minn.) went the distance, allowing the two runs (one earned) on five hits in eight innings. He struck out six to even his record at 3-3.