Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

WINONA, Minn. – Saint John's baseball split with Saint Mary's on Wednesday, April 27, in Winona.

SJU (19-15, 11-5 MIAC) totaled 11 hits and took advantage of six SMU errors in a 10-1 win in the opener, but batted 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 10 outs at the plate via strikeout in a 7-5 loss in game two.

Junior first baseman Max Nyrop (Alameda, Calif.) became the 34th Johnnie in program history to reach 100 career hits with a two-out single in the top of the first inning in game two.

The Johnnies out-hit the Cardinals (16-17, 8-8 MIAC) 24-13, including three home runs, to raise their season-record total to 44. St. Olaf owns the MIAC record for single-season home runs with 52 in 1988 (40 games).

Game 1
Junior second baseman Owen Dauk (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) extended his on-base streak to 21 games with a one-out single in the top of the first inning before Nyrop blasted his sixth home run of the season to give SJU a quick 2-0 lead. The homer, the 17th of his career and his 99th career hit, moved Nyrop into a tie with Brent Schloe '00 and Joey Stock '20 for fourth in program history.

A pair of free passes - a hit batsmen and a walk - with one out came back to bite senior Nathan Brandecker (South St. Paul, Minn.) as SMU cut its deficit in half with a run in the bottom of the second.

The free passes carried over to the Johnnies' half of the third inning, as sophomore third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) and Dauk walked, but the Cardinals coaxed two groundballs and a flyout to escape the inning.

The Johnnies manufactured a pair of runs to make it 4-1 in the top of the fourth inning. Sophomore left fielder Rodney Erickson (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) singled to start the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from senior right fielder Soren Roe (Golden Valley, Minn./Blake), on to third on a groundout from sophomore designated hitter Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) and scored on a two-out single off the bat of junior shortstop Matthew Hayford (Rochester, Minn./Lourdes). Becker and Dauk followed with back-to-back singles to plate the team's fourth run of the game.

SJU broke the game open with six unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning. SJU loaded the bases with one out before the Johnnies scored the inning's first two runs thanks to the Cardinals' fifth error on a fielder's-choice groundball by Nyrop. Sophomore center fielder Jordan Amundson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) followed with a sac fly to give SJU a 7-1 lead. The visitors re-loaded the bases with singles from senior catcher Ethan Roe (Golden Valley, Minn./Blake) and Erickson, and Soren Roe cleared them with a two-out double.

Brandecker improved to 6-1 with the win, his third complete game of the season. He allowed four singles and struck out five.

Erickson led SJU's bats with his first three-hit game of the season (3-for-4), while Dauk went 2-for-3 with two walks.

Game 2
The Johnnies, like game one, gained an early lead thanks to the long ball in game two. Ethan Roe and Erickson singled to start the second inning before Soren Roe crushed his sixth home run of the season to give SJU an early 3-0 lead. The Cardinals, however, answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame thanks to back-to-back doubles and a sac fly.

Amundson made it 4-2 when he smoked a 0-2 pitch over the right-field fence for his sixth homer of the season in the top of the third inning.

SJU had a runner on third base with one out in the top of the fifth inning, but struck out twice and did not score. Junior Casey Trapp (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) walked the first three batters, Nos. 8-9-1 in the lineup, to start the bottom half of the fifth, but SMU only scored one run with a sac fly.

The Cardinals tied the game with an unearned run on a two-out, RBI double on a 0-2 pitch in the bottom of the sixth.

Dauk doubled with two outs in the seventh, two pitches after Becker was thrown out at second base attempting to steal, to extend his on-base streak to 22 games. He is batting .412 (21-for-51) with a .571 on-base percentage (1.198 OPS) and 18 runs scored in 16 conference games this spring.

SMU gained its first lead of the day with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Cameron Weber doubled with one out, stole third and scored on a single from Trevon VanEgtern. Daniel Marxen brought in the other two runs, both unearned, with a two-out single.

Ethan Roe and Erickson singled with one out in the top of the eighth inning, and Soren Roe ended the game's scoring with an RBI.

Sophomore Isaac Harrill (Eden Prairie, Minn.) took the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits in 1.1 innings of relief. Sophomore Quinn Krueger (Woodbury, Minn.) surrendered an unearned run on two hits and recorded the final five outs.

Trapp gave up three runs on four hits in the no-decision. He struck out five and walked four in five innings.

Ethan Roe went 3-for-4 with a double, which broke his tie with Derek Schiebel '17 for fourth-most in program history (31), in the nightcap.

Erickson batted 5-for-8 with three runs scored on the day, while Dauk and Ethan Roe each went 4-for-8 and combined for five runs.

Soren Roe totaled seven RBI and now has 13, while batting 5-for-10, over his last three games.

The Johnnies continue the road stretch with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 30, at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter.