Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

ST. PETER, Minn. – Saint John's baseball swept Gustavus Adolphus with a pair of extra-inning wins on a gusty Saturday, April 6, in St. Peter.

SJU (11-7, 3-1 MIAC) had the Gusties (10-9, 2-2 MIAC) down to their last out in the bottom of the seventh inning in both games, but the home team managed to tie it in both instances. The Johnnies responded, however, with three runs in the top of the eighth inning in both contests for 6-3 and 8-5 victories. In MIAC play, the first game of the doubleheader is seven innings and the second contest changes from nine innings to seven if the first reaches extras.

GAC entered the game second in NCAA Division III in batting average (.360), third in slugging percentage (.557) and fourth in on-base percentage (.459). Four SJU pitchers held the Gusties to a .279 average (17-for-61), including .192 (5-for-26) with runners on base and .214 (3-for-14) with runners in scoring position.

The Johnnies, meanwhile, clubbed four home runs and took advantage of 17 free passes (13 walks and four hit batsmen) from 11 GAC pitchers (nine in game two alone).

Senior right fielder Rodney Erickson (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) led SJU's offensive attack with a 5-for-11 performance at the plate that included two doubles and a homer.

Game 1 (Saint John's 6, at Gustavus 3; 8 inn.)
Senior second baseman Owen Dauk (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) gave SJU an early 1-0 lead with a one-out, solo home run in the top of the first inning. The homer was Dauk's first of the season and 12th of his career.

Brady Schmitz tied the game for GAC with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the second inning, but SJU re-gained the lead in the fourth. Senior center fielder Jordan Amundson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) singled to start the inning, moved to second on a groundout from senior left fielder Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) and scored on an RBI single from senior designated hitter Andrew Mahlke (Victoria, Minn./Chanhassen).

Erickson padded the lead (3-1) with a solo blast, his second long ball of the season and eighth of his career, with two outs in the top of the seventh inning.

Joe Burns provided the heroics for Gustavus with a pinch-hit, two-run homer to tie the game at 3-3 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

The momentum was short-lived, however, as senior third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) opened the eighth inning with a solo shot, his fifth homer of the season and 14th of his career, tying him with Ryan Giefer '95, Tony Giuliani '99 and Jay Kasner '07 for seventh in program history.

Schleper reached on an error with one out before Mahlke advanced him to second with a bunt single, his third hit of the afternoon. Junior first baseman Jackson Peter (Elrosa, Minn./Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa) walked to load the bases before sophomore shortstop Reed Marquardt (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) poked a two-run single through the left side of the infield to give the Johnnies a 6-3 lead.

Junior Connor Hartley (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount) surrendered three runs on nine hits in seven innings for his second-consecutive win. He struck out five and walked one. Hartley earned the win in relief in the Johnnies' 1-0, eight-inning victory in game two Wednesday (April 3) vs. Bethel.

Senior Jeremy Klick (Maple Grove, Minn.) pitched the scoreless bottom half of the eighth inning for his third save of the season.

Game 2 (Saint John's 8, at Gustavus 5; 8 inn.)
Erickson doubled to start game two and advanced to third on a groundout from Dauk. Becker walked and stole second, which enabled Erickson to score on the throw for the early 1-0 lead.

A routine flyball off the bat of Gustavus' Chris Knowles blew over the left-field fence for a three-run homer to give the home team a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Erickson doubled again, to the same spot in right-center field, to start the third inning and scored on the ensuing RBI single from Dauk to cut SJU's deficit to 3-2. SJU, however, had a runner thrown out at the plate and left the bases loaded later that half of the inning.

The Gusties' Bryce Novak led off the bottom of the third with a triple on a fly ball that the wind blew away from Erickson in right-center field and he scored on a single in the next at-bat to push the home team's lead to 4-2.

SJU tied the game at 4-4 thanks to a pair of bases-loaded walks with two outs in the top of the fifth inning. Becker and Amundson coaxed back-to-back walks with one out before senior designated hitter Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit) was plunked by a pitch for the second time of the game to load the bases. Junior catcher Blake Mellgren (Northfield, Minn.) and Peter then followed with RBI-walks to tie the game.

Erickson reached on an infield single to begin the sixth inning and cruised to second base via wild pitch. He advanced to third on a sac bunt from Dauk for the first out but was stranded there. The Gusties matched the Johnnies' threat by having a baserunner reach third base with one out, but junior lefty Will Fazio (Minneapolis, Minn./Blake) closed the door.

Peter gave SJU a 5-4 lead with a go-ahead, solo homer with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. The blast was his second of the season and fifth as a Johnnie.

GAC rallied once again, however, to push the game to extra innings. Novak singled with two outs and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Down to their last strike, the Gusties tied the game at 5-5 on an RBI single from Schmitz in the bottom of the seventh.

Dauk drew a leadoff walk in the eighth inning, Becker was hit by a 1-2 pitch and Amundson walked to load the bases. With the infield drawn in, Schleper hit a sharp groundball to the second baseman, who dove and stopped the ball but his throw to home plate was too late for the go-ahead run. A balk made it 7-5 and a wild pitch on ball four to Mahlke gave the Johnnies a three-run cushion. Mellgren walked to re-load the bases, but two strikeouts and a foul out left the score at 8-5.

Fazio picked up the win in relief (2-1 record), allowing one run on four hits in four innings pitched. He struck out four and walked one.

Senior Wyatt Rudolf (Carver, Minn./Chanhassen) gave up four runs on four hits over four innings for the no-decision. He struck out four and walked two.

The Johnnies continue the road stretch with a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader at Hamline on Monday, April 8, at CHS Field in St. Paul.