Box Score

FT. MYERS, Fla. – Saint John's baseball finished its spring-break trip with a 6-3 win over Muskingum (Ohio) on Saturday morning (March 9).

The Johnnies (6-4 overall) scored six unanswered runs after the fifth inning, including the go-ahead, three-run homer from senior designated hitter Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) with two outs in the seventh.

Muskingum (4-5 overall) scored the game's first run, unearned, in the bottom of the second inning and tacked on two more unearned runs with two outs in the fifth. The Fighting Muskies entered the contest batting .319 (83-for-260) through their first eight games but SJU held them to just three hits – a .091 average (3-for-33) – in the victory.

SJU started the game 0-for-8 with runners on base. Junior catcher Blake Mellgren (Northfield, Minn.) tripled with one out in the third, Becker doubled with one out in the fourth and senior left fielder Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) singled to start the fifth inning but the Johnnies stranded all three runners.

The Johnnies finally broke through with two unearned runs of their own in the sixth inning. Senior right fielder Rodney Erickson (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) started the frame with a double and moved to a third on a flyout from senior second baseman Owen Dauk (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview). He scored on Becker's sacrifice fly, which the right fielder dropped, and SJU cut the deficit to 3-2 with consecutive singles from senior center fielder Jordan Amundson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and sophomore third baseman Jackson Geislinger (Grove City, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins). The visiting team, however, left runners on the corners with one out.

Mellgren opened the seventh inning with a single and moved to second on a sac bunt from freshman shortstop Justin Brooks (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) before Erickson reached on an infield single. Becker then gave SJU a 5-3 lead with a two-out, three-run homer to deep left-center. The long ball was Becker's second of the season and 11th of his career.

SJU took advantage of a leadoff walk from Geislinger and scored an insurance run on back-to-back singles from senior first baseman Andrew Mahlke (Victoria, Minn./Chanhassen) and Mellgren. 

Junior Will Fazio (Minneapolis, Minn./Blake) earned the win in relief by pitching three hitless, scoreless innings. He struck out five and walked three.

Senior Wyatt Rudolf (Carver, Minn./Chanhassen) pitched a scoreless ninth for his first collegiate save.

Junior Connor Hartley (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount) allowed three unearned runs on two hits in the no-decision. He struck out five and walked one in five innings and now has a 0.56 ERA, .167 opponent batting average and 14 strikeouts (to one walk) in a team-leading 16 innings pitched this season.

Mellgren led SJU with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, while Becker and Erickson totaled two hits and two runs apiece. Becker drove in four and now has 97 in his career, which is good for eighth in SJU history.

The Johnnies return home to Collegeville before traveling to Tucson, Ariz., next weekend for four games over three days (March 16-18).