Misericordia Box Score | Lebanon Valley Box Score

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Saint John's baseball split its final two games in Port Charlotte, Fla., on Tuesday, March 7.

The Johnnies (2-4 overall) issued 14 free passes (nine walks and five hit batsmen) in a 4-3, 11-inning loss to Misericordia (Pa.) in the day's first game, but bounced back with a 5-3 win over Lebanon Valley (Pa.) in the afternoon. All four runs allowed to Misericordia reached base via walk or hit-by-pitch.

SJU travels south to Ft. Myers for the remainder of the spring-break trip and faces Pittsburgh-Bradford (Pa.) at noon ET on Wednesday, March 8.

Saint John's 5, Lebanon Valley 3
Sophomore southpaw Will Fazio (Minneapolis, Minn./Blake) allowed two baserunners through the game's first four innings, but the Dutchmen (1-6-1 overall) started the fifth with back-to-back singles. The two runners advanced a base on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly, respectively, to give Lebanon Valley a 2-0 lead. Fazio left the game due to muscle cramps with two outs in the inning.

The Johnnies answered with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning and never looked back. Senior catcher Matt Herold (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View) and junior outfielder Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) singled with one out and scored on junior outfielder Rodney Erickson's (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) two-run triple. Senior second baseman Owen Dauk (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) followed with a groundball to the first baseman, but Erickson beat the throw home for the go-ahead run.

SJU added some insurance in the sixth inning when junior first baseman Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit), Herold and Schleper all singled to load the bases before Dauk brought in two with a single of his own.

Senior Cade Marsolek (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) allowed an unearned run on five hits in 3.1 innings of relief to earn the win and senior Jack Haring (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his second career save. Fazio struck out six and allowed LVC's first two runs on three hits in 4.2 innings of work.

Misericordia 4, Saint John's 3 (11 inn.)
SJU gained a 3-1 lead with three runs in the fourth inning, but Misericordia scored the game's final three runs with one apiece in the seventh, eighth and 11th.

Junior third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) was hit by a pitch to start the top of the fourth inning, advanced to third on a double off the bat of senior Max Nyrop (Alameda, Calif.) and scored on an RBI single from junior centerfielder Jordan Amundson (Eden Prairie, Minn.). Junior first baseman Andrew Mahlke (Victoria, Minn./Chanhassen) brought in Nyrop with a sacrifice fly and, after Amundson stole second base, senior catcher Zach Selchow (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) made it 3-1 with an RBI single. Nyrop led SJU with two hits in the game.

A walk with one out in the seventh came around to score on a two-out single for the Cougars (6-2 overall) and a leadoff hit-by-pitch stole second and third before scoring on a squeeze bunt to tie the game in the eighth.

Misericordia nearly won the game in the bottom of the 10th inning, but Amundson threw out the potential game-winning run at the plate for the second out. Back-to-back plunked batters created the Cougars' threat in the 11th inning and a one-out single plated the game-winning run.

Sophomore Connor Hartley (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount) took the loss, allowing two runs on three hits over the final 3.1 innings.

Senior Wyatt Rudolf (Carver, Minn./Chanhassen) surrendered one run on five hits over six innings of relief. He struck out seven and walked four.

The Johnnies batted 4-for-21 with runners on base, though the Cougars left 14 men on and went 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position (0-for-4 with the bases loaded).