Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Second-seeded Saint John's baseball suffered a 6-4 loss to third-seeded Concordia to cap the first day of the 2023 MIAC Tournament on Thursday night, May 11, at Haugen Field at Becker Park.

The Johnnies (23-15, 14-6 MIAC) face top-seeded Gustavus (26-13, 16-4 MIAC) in an elimination game at noon Friday, May 12, in Collegeville. The Gusties fell to fourth-seeded Bethel (27-10, 14-6 MIAC) earlier in the day Thursday.

SJU recorded five extra-base hits – four doubles and a home run – but left 10 men on base and batted 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, as well as 3-for-19 with runners on base.

Concordia (21-16, 14-6 MIAC) took advantage of an infield single and scored the game's first run on a two-out, RBI single from Matt Gruber in the top of the first inning.

Senior second baseman Owen Dauk (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) walked to start the third inning, moved to third base when senior first baseman Max Nyrop (Alameda, Calif.) roped a double off the left-field fence and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of senior center fielder Jordan Amundson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) in the next at-bat. The run scored enabled Dauk to break SJU's season record with 45.

Junior left fielder Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) gave the Johnnies their first and only lead of the game with a leadoff homer, his third of the season and 11th of his career, in the fourth inning.

The lead was short-lived, however, as CC plated two runs in the fifth inning. Caiden Kjelstrom singled with one out and scored on Andy Gravdahl's triple on a 0-2 count. Gravdahl came in on an RBI groundout from Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe to make it 3-2. 

Nyrop cracked his second double of the game with two outs in the bottom half of the fifth and scored, unearned, on a throwing error by the Cobbers. The errors were contagious, however, as SJU committed two in the top of the sixth and CC tallied two more runs, both unearned with two outs.

SJU looked to have something going offensively in the bottom of the sixth but inevitably left empty-handed. Junior designated hitter Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit) walked to start it off and moved to second on a single from senior catcher Matt Herold (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View). Junior right fielder Rodney Erickson (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) flipped a single to right field, but Herold thought the first baseman may make the catch and started to go back to first base. The handful of steps back to the bag proved to be critical as the Cobbers' right fielder gained the force-out at second. Dauk then followed with a lineout-double-play to first base to end the inning.

Concordia extended its lead to 6-3 with a safety-squeeze bunt in the top of the seventh and Herold ended the game's scoring by plating Schleper, who smacked a leadoff double, on an RBI groundout in the eighth. 

Sophomore Connor Hartley (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount) took the loss, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits in six innings of relief. He struck out two and walked one.

Senior Wyatt Rudolf (Carver, Minn./Chanhassen) made the start and gave up the first run on five hits in three innings. He struck out two and walked four.