Pitcher Grant Soderberg had a great performance in game one of Sunday afternoon's doubleheader against Saint John's. Soderberg pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and striking out a career-high 11 batters.
The Gustavus baseball team split their doubleheader with second-place Saint John’s on Sunday afternoon in St. Peter. Gustavus lost game one 2-0 in a pitcher’s duel and won game two by a score of 3-1. With the split Gustavus moves to 13-16 overall and 6-10 in the MIAC, Saint John’s is now 23-11 overall and 11-5 in the MIAC.
Game One – Saint John’s scored two runs in the second inning, and that was all that was needed to secure a 2-0 win for the Johnnies in game one. Luke Larson (Bloomington, Minn.) led off the second inning with a double down the left field line to set the tone for the Johnnies. A single by David Graves (Mora, Minn.) advanced Larson to third base and put runners on the corners for Saint John’s with one out. After Graves stole second base to put himself into scoring position, a double by Justin Thompson (Chanhassen, Minn.) scored both Graves and Larson for a 2-0 Saint John’s lead.
Despite a strong performance, rookie Grant Soderberg (Eden Prairie, Minn.) suffered the loss on the mound for the Gusties. Soderberg pitched the full seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and striking out a career-high 11 batters. Soderberg falls to 2-5 on the season. Ryan Spengler (St. Cloud, Minn.) picked up his fifth win of the season and moves to 5-2 overall with a six-inning, three-hit performance..
The Gustavus offense struggled in game one, gathering only three hits as a team. Scott Benjamin (Northfield, Minn.), Tim Miller (Eden Prairie, Minn.), and Garrett Fuchs (Cold Spring, Minn.) each had a single in the game.
Game Two – The Gustavus offense turned it around in game two, jumping out of the gate quickly by scoring two runs in the first inning and building a quick 2-0 lead.
Erik Sveen (Excelsior, Minn.) led off the bottom of the first inning with a single and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Fish (Brandon, S.D.). Drew Block (Rochester, Minn.) hit a triple to right-center field, his fifth of the season, scoring Sveen from second base to put the Gusties up 1-0. Block scored the second run of the inning for Gustavus on a Tim Miller single to give Gustavus a 2-0 lead.
Saint John’s countered in the third inning, scoring a run of its own on a Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn.) double to left-center field to bring them within one run of the Gustavus lead. Gustavus responded appropriately in the bottom of the third inning, with Sveen leading the inning off with a double to left field. Fish once again advanced Sveen on a sacrifice bunt, putting Sveen on third base. After Block struck out, Boyden Lee (Fergus Falls, Minn.) singled to left field to plate Sveen, giving the Gusties a 3-1 lead, which they would hold onto for the victory.
Senior Erik Sveen had a great day from the plate for the Gusties, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a double.
Kellan Euerle (St. Cloud, Minn.) was the second Gustie pitcher to go the distance on Sunday afternoon. Euerle went the full seven innings, giving up one run on eight hits and striking out three batters. Euerle picks up his third win of the season and is now 3-4 on the season in nine appearances.
The Gustavus baseball team will have a non-conference matchup against the University of Minnesota-Morris on Monday afternoon in St. Peter. Game one of Monday’s doubleheader will begin at 2:30 p.m.