COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The Gustavus baseball team took one on the chin Thursday evening with a 17-5 loss to Saint Mary’s in the MIAC playoffs. The Gusties drop to 26-6 overall and will face Bethel at 3 p.m. Friday in an elimination game.
Things went sideways for the Gusties in the third as the Cardinals rallied for five runs, all with two outs, on five hits. In the bottom half, Bryce Novak (So., Cleveland) singled and scored from first on a double to right center by Jack Hanson (Jr., Minnetonka), making the score 5-1.
Saint Mary’s put together another two-out rally in the fourth, plating four runs on just two hits with a bases-loaded walk, and a bases-load hit-by-pitch for a 9-1 advantage. Weston Lombard (Sr., Stillwater) left the game after three and two-thirds innings, allowing nine runs on seven hits, two strikeouts, and three walks. Lombard suffered his first loss of the season and is now 7-1.
The Cardinals caused more damage in the fifth with six runs on three hits and two ill-timed errors to put the game out of reach at 15-1.
The Gusties’ best inning was the sixth as they scored three runs on four hits. Nick Azar (Jr., Edina) hit a sac fly to score Hanson; Chris Knowles (Fy., New Ulm) doubled to score Cole Pengilly (Sr., Le Sueur); and Dalton Thelen (Jr., Cold Spring) hit another sac fly to score Logan Bjorkman (So., Lindstrom).
Saint Mary’s added single runs in the seventh and eighth, while the Gusties scored the last run of the game in the ninth as Kathan Decker (So., Apple Valley) singled home Luke Johnson (So., Paynesville).
Hanson led the team at the plate, batting 3-for-5 with run and an RBI. The Gusties used five pitchers in the game. Drake Siens (Fy., Rogers) and Decker made their first career appearances on the mound, each working one inning.
If the Gusties beat Bethel tomorrow, they will face the loser of St. Thomas and Saint Mary’s at 7 p.m. The winner of that game advances to the MIAC championship on Saturday.