Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's ended its MIAC baseball schedule with a 3-1 loss to St. Olaf on Sunday, May 9, at Becker Park.

The Johnnies (27-10, 16-9 MIAC) will be the No. 4 seed and face ninth-seeded Hamline for the first of the MIAC-Round, three-game series at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15, at CHS Field in St. Paul. SJU will host the series' final two games, both nine-inning tilts, beginning at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 16, in Collegeville.

SJU put together a threat Sunday in the bottom of the ninth inning, a single from junior outfielder Soren Roe (Golden Valley, Minn./Blake) and a two-out double from freshman outfielder Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.), but St. Olaf's Hunter Barber registered a three-pitch strikeout to end the game.

Barber picked up the complete-game win for St. Olaf (12-8, 5-7 MIAC), allowing an unearned run on seven hits. He entered the game with nine strikeouts in 24.1 innings pitched this spring and set down nine Johnnies on the day without a free pass.

The two teams exchanged unearned runs in the first inning and the Oles scored the deciding runs on sacrifice flies in the third. The first three STO batters of the third inning reached with singles, of which two traveled less than 50 feet. The first hit was controversial, as the Oles' Harold Borg looked to have fouled the pitch off his foot and ran to first. Junior pitcher Nathan Brandecker (South St. Paul, Minn.) and junior catcher Ethan Roe (Golden Valley, Minn./Blake) did not field the ball in fair territory, thinking it was a foul ball, and the umpire awarded Borg first base. 

Brandecker took the loss (2-3 record), surrendering the three runs (two earned) on six hits. He struck out three in seven innings. Freshman Kody Dalen (Carver, Minn./Chanhassen) pitched two scoreless innings of relief.

Sophomore designated hitter Max Nyrop (Alameda, Calif.) led SJU's bats with two hits, while Ethan Roe extended his hit streak to 10 games with a fourth-inning single. SJU posted a 7-6 edge in hits, but batted 2-for-12 with runners on base and the leadoff hitter reached only once in the nine innings. The big hit was missing all series long as the Johnnies batted .174 (8-for-46) with runners on, including .160 (4-for-25) with runners in scoring position, in the three games.