Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's baseball ended its 2025 season with a 13-12 loss to St. Olaf on Friday, May 9, in the MIAC Tournament at Haugen Field at Becker Park. 

St. Olaf (23-16 overall) erased a 9-6 deficit with three runs in the eighth inning and four in the ninth – all with two outs – and staved off a furious ninth-inning rally by the Johnnies (25-16 overall) to earn the win. SJU had the tying run on second base with one out and at third base with two.

The Oles batted 8-for-17 with two outs to SJU's 2-for-10 showing. Ten of the visitor's 13 RBI came with two outs.

STO opened the scoring with three two-out runs in the top of the second inning, but SJU answered with six runs on five hits in the bottom half of the frame. Junior right fielder Brendan Hemr (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) put the home team on the scoreboard with a solo homer, his sixth of the season, and junior left fielder Owen Amrhein (Waconia, Minn.) followed with a walk. Sophomore designated hitter Zach Helfmann (St. Louis Park, Minn.) smacked a single up the middle before sophomore catcher Will Wareham (Lakeville, Minn./North) pulled a double down the left-field line. Junior shortstop Reed Marquardt cleared the bases with a triple and senior third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) made it 6-3 when he crushed his 15th home run of the season in the next at-bat.

The Oles chipped away at the Johnnies' lead with single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to tie the game.

Marquardt and Becker walked to start the bottom of the seventh inning and advanced on a sacrifice bunt from senior first baseman Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit). Sophomore second baseman Alex Matchey (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) slapped the first pitch he saw into the right-center field gap for a two-run double and scored on a two-out, RBI single off the bat of Amrhein to give SJU a 9-6 advantage.

Down 13-9 entering the bottom of the ninth inning, Matchey started the rally with a single and Hemr walked. Helfmann made it a one-run game when he walloped a 2-2 pitch with one out over the left-field fence for his eighth homer of the season. Sophomore center fielder Riley Schwellenbach (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) greeted the Oles' relief pitcher with a single and stole second base, his 16th of the season. He advanced to third on a flyout from Wareham, but was stranded there with a full-count strikeout to end the game.

Sophomore Carter Theisen (Rosemount, Minn.) pitched the ninth inning and took the loss after he allowed four runs on three hits.

Senior lefty Will Fazio (Minneapolis, Minn./Blake) made the start and gave up five runs on eight hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked three.

Hemr led the Johnnies with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, while Helfmann and Matchey added two hits apiece.