Josh Spitzack
The Gustavus baseball team opened 2005 MIAC play by sweeping Carleton College 5-0 and 12-5 in Northfield on Saturday. The sweep was highlighted by junior pitcher Josh Spitzack (JR, West Concord, Minn.) throwing a complete game (7 inn.) no-hitter in the Gusties 5-0 win in game one.
The Gusties got off to a good start in game one when Tony Konicek (SO, Rochester, Minn.) doubled and then scored on Aaron Madson’s (JR, North Mankato, Minn.) single in the first inning. That would turn out to be the only run the team would need as Josh Spitzack turned in the finest performance of his three-year career with a complete game no-hitter. Spitzack faced 24 batters (three over the minimum) as he walked three batters and had one reach on an error. He picked one of the batters he walked off first base in the first inning. Spitzack struck out seven batters and coerced nine more to ground into infield outs. It is the first complete game no-hitter thrown by a Gustavus pitcher in over 15 years.
The Gusties gave Spitzack some breathing room with a four-run third inning that extended the lead to 5-0. Andy Schmidt (JR, Lakeville, Minn.) had the big hit in the inning with a bases loaded double that drove in two runs. Ben Sherer (JR, Bismarck, No. Dak.) also drove in a run with a double and Pat Siering (FR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly. Spitzack got out of jam in the fifth inning after walking two batters with two outs, however he picked up a strike out to end the inning. Aaron Madson led the Gusties with three hits in four at-bats with one rbi. Andy Schmidt, Ben Sherer and Tony Konicek all went 2-for-4 in the game.
In the second game, the Gusties got off to a slow start and trailed 4-3 after four innings, however Coach Mike Carroll’s squad erupted for nine runs in the final three innings to claim the 12-5 win. Gustavus took a 6-4 lead in the top of the fifth by scoring three runs on one hit, two walks, two hit batsmen and a sacrifice fly. Tony Konicek led off the inning with a double and was later when Travis Gunderson (SO, Eagan, Minn.) walked. Andy Schmidt then drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center field and then Mike Holman (SR, Greenfield, Minn.) was hit by a pitch which scored Nate Bower (SO, Rochester, Minn.).
Matt Musta (JR, South St. Paul, Minn.) pitched the first three innings for Gustavus allowing four runs on six hits. Andy Schmidt pitched the final four innings allowing only one run on one hit and earning the victory. The Gusties gave Schmidt some breathing room by manufacturing three more runs on one hit in the sixth and then posting three more runs on two hits in the seventh.
The top four hitters in the Gustavus line-up, Ash Larsen (SR, Burnsville, Minn.), Tony Konicek, Aaron Madson and Ben Sherer were very productive in game two as the quartet combined to score nine of the team’s 12 runs. Madson and Sherer each scored three times, while Konicek scored twice and Larsen once. Sherer was the leading hitter with two hits in three at-bats. He drove in Madson with a double in the first inning.
The Gusties will now head to Winona on Wednesday for a doubleheader with St. Mary’s University. The first game is set to start at 2:30 pm.