Game 1 Box Score |
Game 2 Box Score
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's baseball got back on track with a doubleheader sweep of St. Scholastica – 4-3 and 13-1 in seven innings – on Tuesday, May 2, at Haugen Field at Becker Park.
The Johnnies (20-13, 11-5 MIAC) held the Saints (6-23, 4-12 MIAC) to four hits in game one's close decision and erupted for 14 hits for the lopsided win in game two.
SJU batted .356 (21-for-59) with seven extra-base hits on the day, to the Saints' .204 (10-for-49), including .455 (10-for-22) with two outs.
Senior first baseman
Max Nyrop (Alameda, Calif.), the reigning MIAC Player of the Week, and junior third baseman
Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) collected four hits apiece and combined for seven runs scored. Becker fell a home run shy of the cycle in the doubleheader and extended his on-base streak to 37 games going back to last season (last four games of 2022, all 33 games in 2023).
Game 1
The score swung between tied and in SJU's favor each of the first three innings. Becker tripled with one out in the bottom of the first inning and scored on an RBI groundout off the bat of Nyrop to open the day's scoring. CSS tied the game with an unearned run in the top of the second inning, but the home team re-gained the lead with an unearned run of its own in the bottom half. A leadoff double came around to score on an RBI groundout for the Saints in the third inning and junior right fielder
Rodney Erickson (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) made it 3-2 with a solo home run, his third of the season and fifth of his career, to start the bottom of the third. Erickson needs three hits to become the 38th Johnnie in program history to reach 100 for a career.
A leadoff double came across to tie the game for St. Scholastica in the top of the fifth inning, but the Johnnies came through with what proved to be the game-winning run in the bottom half of the frame. Becker singled with two outs to start the rally, followed by an infield single from Nyrop and junior center fielder
Jordan Amundson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) drove an 0-2 pitch through the right side for the RBI single.
Junior
Kody Dalen (Carver, Minn./Chanhassen) improved to 3-2 with the victory after he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits. He struck out seven and walked three in 5.2 innings.
Senior
Jack Haring (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) relieved Dalen with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the sixth inning, but coaxed a three-pitch strikeout to end the Saints' threat.
Freshman
Evan Soeffker (Buffalo, Minn.) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for his fifth save of the season.
Game 2
CSS struck first in game two on a two-out, solo homer in the top of the first inning. That was all the visitors would muster, however, as SJU broke out with a seven-run third inning and added three runs in both the fourth and fifth to induce the 10-run rule. Only two of the seven runs in the third were earned.
Senior second baseman
Owen Dauk (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) started the offensive blitz with a three-run blast, his third homer of the season and 11th of his career, in the bottom of the third.
Six Johnnies totaled two hits each in game two: Becker, Dauk, Nyrop, junior first baseman
Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit), junior left fielder
Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) and senior catcher
Zach Selchow (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview). Dauk and sophomore shortstop
Jackson Peter (Elrosa, Minn./Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa) posted three RBI apiece.
Erickson made the defensive play of the day in the top of the fifth in game two when he ran down a deep flyball up against the fence in the right-center gap and threw a one-hop throw to double up the baserunner at first base to end the inning.
Senior lefty
Casey Trapp (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) evened his season record at 3-3 with the win. He allowed the lone run on five hits and struck out four in six innings of work. Junior
Jordon Huwe (Lakeville, Minn./North) completed the sweep with a scoreless seventh inning.
The Johnnies wrap up their long homestand by hosting St. Olaf (13-14, 8-5 MIAC) at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday, May 3) in Collegeville.