Box Score
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Saint John's baseball defeated top-seeded Bethel 4-3 in the MIAC Tournament's first elimination game on Friday afternoon, May 8, at CHS Field.
The Johnnies (26-15 overall) advance to face the losing team between Macalester and Saint Mary's around 7 p.m. Friday night.
Junior
Hunter Hoen (Belle Plaine, Minn.) improved to 5-1 with the win, allowing one run on nine singles with five strikeouts (to three walks) in 6.1 innings.
Senior
Reed Marquardt (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) drove in the game's first three runs – a two-run double in the first inning and an RBI triple in the third – all with two outs. SJU took advantage of two free passes in the top of the first inning when the third baseman
Reed Marquardt laced a two-run double to the left-center gap with two outs for a quick 2-0 lead.
Junior Catcher
Mason McCurdy (Lake Elmo, Minn./Stillwater Area) doubled with two outs in the third inning and scored when Marquardt blasted a pitch off the right-center field fence for a standout triple. Junior first baseman
Justin Brooks (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) followed with an RBI single through the infield's left side for a 4-0 lead.
Bethel (29-10 overall) erased the shutout in the sixth inning after a leadoff walk scored thanks to three-straight singles. The Royals loaded the bases, but Hoen ended the inning with a pair of swinging strikeouts.
BU tallied two runs off junior
Matthew Magnuson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) in the eighth inning but left runners on the corners.
Senior
Vinny Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) relieved Magnuson for the ninth inning and surrendered a tough-luck double to the leadoff hitter, Sam Abbas. Abbas hit a hot shot back up the middle that deflected off Schleper's glove into no-man's land between first and second base. Schleper bore down and coaxed a lineout to center field, followed by a pair of groundouts to junior second baseman
Alex Matchey (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) to end the game and earn his third save of the season.
Marquardt and McCurdy led SJU with two hits apiece.
Senior right fielder
Brendan Hemr (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) became the 41st Johnnie in program history to reach 100 career hits when he lined an infield single off the Royals' pitcher in the fourth inning.
