The Johnnie baseball team wraps up MIAC play with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at St. Scholastica this Saturday, May 3, at Wade Stadium in Duluth. – Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (23-13, 13-5 MIAC) ran its win streak to five games and clinched a berth to next week's four-team MIAC Tournament with a sweep of Concordia-Moorhead, 4-1 and 4-3, on Tuesday (April 29) at Haugen Field at Becker Park.

SJU batted .313 (15-for-48) with five extra-base hits and held Concordia (18-19, 9-11 MIAC) to a .197 average and 12 singles (12-for-61). The Cobbers were 3-for-22 (.136) with runners in scoring position on the afternoon.

Game 1 – at Saint John's 4, Concordia 1
CC scored an unearned run in the top of the second inning before SJU plated four unanswered runs for the win.

Junior shortstop Reed Marquardt (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) walked to start the bottom of the third inning and senior first baseman Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit) followed suit two batters later. A bunt single from sophomore second baseman Alex Matchey (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) loaded the bases before junior right fielder Brendan Hemr (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) roped a 3-2 pitch up the middle for an RBI single. Sophomore center fielder Riley Schwellenbach (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) brought in the go-ahead run with a fielder's choice in the next at-bat.

Senior catcher Blake Mellgren (Northfield, Minn.) drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth inning and SJU scored another run with three-straight walks – the third being Matchey – before Hemr ended the game's scoring with a sacrifice fly.

Senior Connor Hartley (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount) pitched the complete game, his fourth of the season, and allowed the unearned run on just two hits in seven innings. He tied a season high with seven strikeouts and is now 6-4 on the year.

Game 2 – at Saint John's 4, Concordia 3
The Johnnies put together a two-out rally to tally the game's first run in the bottom of the first inning when Best singled through the right side and scored from first when Matchey dropped a triple down the right-field line.

Senior third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) made it 2-0 when he blasted his 13th home run of the season to start the bottom of the third inning. The long ball tied him with former teammate Ethan Roe '22 (set in 2021) for the SJU season record. Becker is also two runs scored from the season record of 45 set by another former teammate, Owen Dauk '23, in 2023 and is tied with Casey Haugen '07 for the program record in walks with 82.

The Cobbers cut the lead to 2-1 with an unearned run in the fifth inning, but the home team manufactured a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Best started the frame with a double, his 11th of the season, moved to third on a sac bunt from Matchey and scored on another RBI single off the bat of Hemr.

The exchange of runs continued in the seventh inning. CC put together three singles off reliever Kade Bowar (Burnsville, Minn.) to make it 3-2 but the senior ended the threat – with two runners on – with a strikeout looking. Junior left fielder Owen Amrhein (Waconia, Minn.) dropped a Texas-league double down the right-field line, advanced to third on a sac bunt from Mellgren and scored on Marquardt's sac fly.

The visitors tallied an unearned run in the top of the eighth inning and nearly tied the game at 4-4, but Schwellenbach made a sensational diving catch in the left-center gap for the third out.

Senior Will Fazio (Minneapolis, Minn./Blake) improved to 6-1 with the win after he allowed an unearned run on five groundball singles in six innings of work. He struck out nine and walked one.

Junior Jack Dobesh (Edina, Minn.) struck out three and pitched the final two scoreless innings for his second save of the season.

CC went 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base in the nightcap.

Matchey led SJU by going 4-for-6 at the plate with two RBI and Best posted a 3-for-6 performance with two walks and three runs scored.

15 IN A ROW: The Johnnies will make their 15th-consecutive appearance and 17th overall in the MIAC Tournament (established in 2003), which will be held May 8-10 in Collegeville. 

APPROACHING MORE RECORDS: Becker is already SJU's all-time leader in total bases (387), hits (218), games played (175), RBI (174), runs scored (167), doubles (48) and home runs (33), and set the season record for RBI with 54 last spring. He is currently tied with Matt Boys '11 for the program record with 11 triples and is one walk from the record of 82 owned by Casey Haugen '07. Becker is one homer from the season record of 13 set by former teammate Ethan Roe '22 in 2021 and is four runs from the season record of 45 set by Owen Dauk '23 in 2023.

STAT COMPARISONS
Batting Average
3. SJU, .311 (.312 overall)
6. CSS, .294 (.311 overall)

Slugging Percentage
2. SJU, .471 (.478 overall)
6. CSS, .416 (.441 overall)

ERA
2. CSS, 3.91 (4.09 overall)
3. SJU, 4.10 (4.64 overall)

Opponent Batting Average
2. CSS, .251 (.259 overall)
4. SJU, .253 (.262 overall)

Fielding Percentage
8. CSS, .965 (.959 overall)
9. SJU, .965 (.958 overall)

A LOOK AT THE SAINTS: St. Scholastica (21-17, 8-10 MIAC) split with Macalester on Tuesday (April 29) in St. Paul – falling 3-1 and winning 18-13 – and posted an 11-1 home win over Wisconsin-Superior on Wednesday (April 30). Graduate student Jake Schelonka leads the Saints in nearly every offensive category: batting (.430), runs (36), hits (61), triples (4), home runs (8) and RBI (30). Junior Zack Hlinsky is 4-0 with a 0.33 ERA and .168 opponent batting average in 27.2 innings, while senior lefty Matt Forrest is 2-2 with a 1.35 ERA, .202 opponent batting average and 37 strikeouts (to four walks) in a team-best 53.1 innings.

LAST SPRING: SJU swept St. Scholastica – 4-2 and 11-2 – last April 27 (2024) in Collegeville. The Johnnies batted .355 (22-for-62) with nine extra-base hits – eight doubles and a home run – on the day. 

Four SJU pitchers, meanwhile, held a CSS team that entered the day batting .334 on the season to a .186 average (11-for-59) in the twin bill (including 2-for-20 with two outs). The foursome did not issue a free pass and faced only three, three-ball counts.

Left fielder Jack Schleper '24 saw his 14-game hit streak end in the opener but became SJU's all-time leader in doubles with 42, breaking the previous record of 41 held by Matt Butorac '11, when he smacked a pair of RBI two-baggers in game two. Becker has since passed him.

Game 1 – at Saint John's 4, St. Scholastica 2
The first two Saints reached with singles and a run scored on a double play to give the visitors a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning. Second baseman Owen Dauk '23 singled with one out in the bottom half of the first and scored on an RBI double from Becker to tie the game.

First baseman Jackson Peter and Mellgren singled with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning before Marquardt gave SJU the lead with an RBI double. Dauk made it 4-1 with a two-out, two run single two batters later.

CSS scored what proved to be the game's final run, unearned, on another double play in the top of the fifth inning.

Hartley went the distance (seven innings), allowing the two runs (one earned) on six singles to improve to a team-best 6-2 (5-0 MIAC) record on the year. He finished with 78 pitches (56 strikes).

Game 2 – at Saint John's 11, St. Scholastica 2
Right fielder Rodney Erickson '24 started the Johnnies' three-run first inning with a leadoff double and scored on Schleper's first RBI double of the game. Becker, who walked prior to Schleper's at-bat and moved to third on the double, scored on a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Andrew Mahlke '24. Schleper then scored on a wild pitch to give the home team an early 3-0 cushion.

Mellgren singled to start the bottom of the second inning and Marquardt crushed his first collegiate home run for a 5-0 lead.

CSS found the scoreboard with a pair of runs (one earned) off sophomore starter Carter Theisen (Rosemount, Minn.) in the fourth inning, but SJU answered with three more in the bottom half. Marquardt walked with one out, advanced to third on a single from Erickson and scored on Dauk's RBI groundout. Becker stroked an RBI single up the middle and Schleper gave SJU an 8-2 advantage with his record-breaking double. 

Peter doubled with one out in the fifth inning, moved to third base on another single from Mellgren and scored on a wild pitch. Erickson then plated Mellgren with his second double of the game. Mellgren ended the game's scoring with a two-out RBI single in the sixth inning to give him a 3-for-5 performance.

SJU's 8-9-1 batters (Mellgren, Marquardt and Erickson) combined to go 9-for-13 with six runs scored and four RBI in the victory.

Theisen surrendered the two runs (one earned) on three hits in five innings for his first MIAC win and improve to 3-1 overall.

Quinn Krueger '24 and Jeremy Klick combined for five strikeouts and gave up a hit each in two innings of relief apiece.

Erickson (two runs) and Mellgren (three runs) each went 4-for-8 with an RBI, while Marquardt collected a 3-for-6 showing with three RBI and three runs scored on the day.

SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 13-3 all-time against CSS on the baseball diamond, including a 2-1 record in Duluth.