Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's baseball rolled to a 15-2 non-conference win in seven innings over Minnesota-Morris on Wednesday, April 10, at Haugen Field at Becker Park.

The Johnnies (13-8, 4-2 MIAC) took advantage of eight free passes (five hit batsmen and three walks) and clubbed seven extra-base hits (three doubles, two triples and two home runs) in the victory, the team's fifth in the last six games.

SJU scored a run or more in five of the six innings and built a 12-0 lead after the third. A sacrifice fly from senior center fielder Jordan Amundson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and a wild pitch gave the home team an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, followed by back-to-back five-run frames.

A bases-loaded wild pitch made it 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning before senior right fielder Rodney Erickson (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) laced a two-run triple to center. The triple was Erickson's second of the season and ninth of his career, which ties him with Derek Schiebel '17 for third in program history, two from the record of 11 owned by Matt Boys '11. 

Senior second baseman Owen Dauk (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) brought in Erickson with a sac fly and senior third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) crushed his team-leading sixth home run of the season to left field to give SJU a 7-0 lead. The homer was Becker's 15th as a Johnnie, which is good for seventh in school history.

Senior designated hitter Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit) led off the bottom of the third inning with a solo blast over the video board in right field for his first homer of the season and second in an SJU uniform. Singles from junior first baseman Jackson Peter (Elrosa, Minn./Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa) and sophomore shortstop Reed Marquardt (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) sandwiched a hit-by-pitch of junior catcher Blake Mellgren (Northfield, Minn.) to load the bases. Erickson plated Peter on a groundout and RBI singles off the bats of Dauk, Becker and senior left fielder Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) enabled the Johnnies to bat around and increase their lead to 12-0.

An RBI groundout from Amundson and an RBI double from Schleper, his second two-bagger of the day, pushed SJU's lead to 14-0. Schleper is now third in school history with 37 career doubles, four from the record of 41 held by Matt Butorac '11. 

Ryan McGie erased the shutout for Minnesota-Morris (9-12, 4-2 UMAC) with a two-run double off the left-field fence in the top of the sixth inning.

Marquardt roped a one-out double down the right-field line and junior second baseman Ryan Janzen (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) brought him in to end the game's scoring with a two-out triple.

Freshman Carter Theisen (Rosemount, Minn.) made the start and earned his first collegiate win, allowing one hit in five scoreless innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

Sophomore Vinny Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to end the game due to the 10-run rule.

Each of the Johnnies' first six batters in the lineup drove in a run or more. J. Schleper led the way with a 3-for-4 performance with two doubles and a pair of RBI. Becker was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI, while Marquardt was 2-for-3 with three runs.

Erickson drove in three and scored twice, and Dauk was 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI and runs scored. The two runs scored enabled Dauk to tie the program record of 134 owned by Wyatt Ulrich '20.

The Johnnies return to MIAC play with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Carleton (7-12, 4-2 MIAC) on Saturday, April 13, in Collegeville.