Saint John's baseball hosts Augsburg – its first home games since April 10 – for Jerry Haugen Day at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in Collegeville. – Live Stats | Live Video

PRE-GAME CELEBRATION OF HAUGEN: A social gathering with tours of the new clubhouse will be held beginning at 11 a.m., following by a retirement celebration ceremony at noon on the Pat and Carrie Lynch Rooftop (located atop the clubhouse).

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (19-13, 9-5 MIAC) offense came alive in the nightcap to earn a doubleheader split at Saint Mary's on Wednesday (April 23) in Winona. SJU was held to three singles in a 1-0 defeat in the opener, but erupted for 14 hits to take game two with an 11-1 win in seven innings. The Johnnies were 0-for-11 with runners on base, including 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, in the loss.

Game 1 - at Saint Mary's 1, Saint John's 0
A two-out walk for Saint Mary's came back to haunt senior Connor Hartley (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount) as the game's lone run in the first inning. Stephen Golden walked on five pitches, stole second and scored when sophomore left fielder Alex Matchey's (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) diving attempt in the gap came up short on a sinking liner.

Hartley took the tough-luck loss after he allowed the run on four hits and struck out four in the complete-game, seven-inning effort.

Game 2 - Saint John's 11, at Saint Mary's 1; 7 inn.
SJU jumped out to a 4-0 lead and broke the game open with a seven-run fourth inning. Matchey put the Johnnies on the scoreboard with a two-run single in the first inning. The visitors plated an unearned run in the second inning and junior right fielder Brendan Hemr (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) capped three-straight singles to start the third to make it 4-0.

The Johnnies started the fourth inning with singles from senior catcher Blake Mellgren (Northfield, Minn.) and junior shortstop Reed Marquardt (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) before senior third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) launched his 11th home run of the season in the next at-bat. Matchey singled, Hemr doubled and senior second baseman Ryan Janzen (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sophomore designated hitter Zach Helfmann (St. Louis Park, Minn.) walked to make it 8-0 and junior center fielder Owen Amrhein (Waconia, Minn.) stroked a two-run single. Helfmann eventually scored SJU's 11th run on a wild pitch.

Senior lefty Will Fazio (Minneapolis, Minn./Blake) pitched five scoreless innings to collect his fifth win of the season (5-1 record). He allowed four hits and struck out three without a free pass.

Senior Kade Bowar (Burnsville, Minn.) pitched a scoreless sixth inning of relief and junior Jack Dobesh (Edina, Minn.) gave up the Cardinals' lone run with two outs in the seventh.

Matchey led SJU's bats by going 4-for-5 with two RBI. Marquardt followed with a 3-for-4 performance and two runs scored, while Amrhein and Hemr tallied two hits apiece. Marquardt finished 4-for-7 on the afternoon.

D3BASEBALL.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK: Becker was named D3baseball.com's National Team of the Week on Wednesday (April 23) after he batted .455 (5-for-11) with a 1.920 OPS (1.273 slugging percentage and .647 on-base percentage) with three home runs, five runs scored, four RBI and six walks as SJU went 2-2 last week on the road. He became the program's all-time leader in career hits and runs scored in the Johnnies' sweep of St. Olaf April 15.

A LOOK AT THE AUGGIES: Augsburg (12-19, 6-8 MIAC) is coming off a sweep of Carleton, 9-4 and 12-2 in seven innings, on Wednesday (April 23) in Minneapolis. Junior outfielder Stanley Regguinti leads the Auggie offense in hits (42), doubles (15), triples (8), runs scored (27) and stolen bases. Junior Manny Weiss leads the pitching staff in strikeouts (35) and innings pitched (41.1), and is 2-2 with a 5.23 ERA. Opponents are batting .308 against Augsburg, which has a 6.96 team ERA.

LAST SPRING: SJU's offense started slowly in a doubleheader split with Augsburg last April 18 (2024) in Minneapolis. The Johnnies issued seven free passes (four hit batsmen and three walks) and committed three errors in game one's 4-3 defeat. The visitors recorded only three hits in the loss, two from Mellgren, and went 0-for-7 with two outs. 

SJU erupted, however, for 18 runs on 16 hits in the 18-5, 10-run rule victory in the nightcap. Becker's grand slam to right-center in the top of the fourth inning broke SJU's program record for RBI – 122 set by former teammate Max Nyrop '23 – with 123. Left fielder Jack Schleper '24 ended the day 5-for-8 with six RBI and five runs scored on the day. 

Game 1 - at Augsburg 4, Saint John's 3
Augsburg gained an early 1-0 lead with an unearned run and left the bases loaded in the first inning.

Schleper started a three-run rally in the top of the second inning with a one-out single. Designated hitter Andrew Mahlke '24 reached on an error and first baseman Jackson Peter walked to load the bases. Mellgren followed with a two-run single up the middle to give SJU the lead and Marquardt brought in Peter with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.

The Auggies cut their deficit to 3-2 in the third and loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth, but Kody Dalen '24 induced a dribbler back to him for the force out at home and struck out two to escape the threat.

Regguinti, who entered the doubleheader as the MIAC leader in batting average (.439), singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. He scored on wild pitch – a 0-2 count – to tie the game at 3-3.

Jeremy Klick plunked the first batter faced on his first pitch of the bottom half of the seventh inning. A sac bunt moved the baserunner to second and a groundout to first base, following an infield single, gave the Auggies runners at second and third with two outs. A throwing error pulled Peter off the bag at first to allow the game-winning run to score.

Dalen allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits in the no-decision. He struck out six but walked three and hit three in four innings. The six strikeouts enabled Dalen to pass Connor Cline '13 for third in program history with 167.

Quinn Krueger '24 entered the game with a 2-0 count and a runner on first base with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth inning. He gave up an earned run on two hits in two innings. Klick took the loss (1-1 record).

Game 2 - Saint John's 18, at Augsburg 5; 7 inn.
Right fielder Rodney Erickson '24 started the nightcap with a single and scored on an RBI double from second baseman Owen Dauk '23 for a quick 1-0 lead. Peter walked with one out in the top of the second, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out, RBI single from Marquardt for a 2-0 advantage.

The lead would then go on exchange possession over the next four half-innings. The Auggies answered with three runs, two with two outs, on three hits in the bottom of the second. The lead was short-lived, however. Becker singled with one out in the top of the third inning and Schleper smacked a two-run homer with two outs for a 4-3 lead. The long ball was Schleper's second of the season and 13th of his career. 

The lead swung back into the home team's favor – 5-4 – when it plated two more runs, one earned, in the bottom of the third.

The Johnnies broke open the game with seven runs on five hits in the top of the fourth inning. Marquardt walked with one out, followed by singles from Erickson and Dauk to load the bases for Becker's grand slam. Center fielder Jordan Amundson '24 doubled in the next at-bat and scored on an RBI single from Schleper to make it 9-5. Senior designated hitter Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit) was hit by a pitch and three wild pitches brought both baserunners in for an 11-5 advantage.

A ground-rule double from Schleper, the 40th of his career, gave the Johnnies a 12-5 lead in the sixth and he scored on a two-out single from Peter. The four runs scored in game two were a career high and his four hits (4-for-5) tied a career high.

Marquardt walked to start the seventh inning and scoring on Erickson's 10th triple of his career. 

Dauk walked and stole second before Schleper dropped a two-out, two-run single to center for his fifth and sixth RBI of the game. Schleper advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single from Best to give SJU a 17-5 lead. Mellgren ended the game's scoring when his deep drive forced the left fielder to jump and the ball bounced out of his glove.

Griffin Larson '24 improved to 4-0 this season with the win, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits. He struck out three and walked four in five innings.

Fazio did not allow a hit in the final two innings of relief.

SERIES HISTORY: SJU leads the series against Augsburg with a 60-29 record since 1982, including a 24-13 mark in Collegeville. The Johnnies have won each of the last 12 games vs. the Auggies on their home diamond.