The Gustavus Adolphus College baseball team posted a split with Hamline in the first doubleheader on the new Gustavus diamond. The Pipers held the Gusties to just three hits en route to a 4-0 victory in game one, but Gustavus captured the nightcap 4-3 in 10 innings on a RBI single by Shea Roehrkasse (Jr., Jackson, Wyo./Jackson Hole).
Game One – Hamline 4, Gustavus Adolphus 0
Hamline jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first inning as Pat O’Laughlin singled up the middle scoring Dan Kaczrowski from third base. The Pipers pushed two more runs across in the top of the third inning as James Bachmeier doubled in Kaczrowski and then scored as Josh Roiger got caught in a rundown attempting to steal second base.
The Gusties opened the fourth inning with a pair of singles from Tony Konicek (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo) and Roehrkasse and then had runners at first and third following a fielder’s choice by Tyler Kaus (Jr., St. James, Minn.), but were unable to push across a run as Kaus was caught stealing second base and Pat Siering (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) struck out to end the inning. The Pipers added a fourth run as left fielder Aaron Thompson doubled in pinch runner Derek Rundquist in the seventh.
Hamline pitcher Kyle Foster was perfect through 2 1/3 innings and finished with a complete game three-hitter with nine strikeouts and a walk. Andrew Hoffer (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits in three innings of work to take the loss. Kraig Olson (Jr., Blooming Prairie, Minn.) tossed the final four innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out four. Konicek, Roehrkasse, and Mike DesLauriers (So., Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s) each went 1-for-3 to lead the Gusties offensively.
Game Two – Gustavus Adolphus 4, Hamline 3 (10 innings)
In game two, the Pipers again took an early lead, using three hits and a Gustavus error to plate a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Aaron Thompson opened the game with a double and then scored on a RBI double to left by Andrew Bennett. Bennett would score on a RBI single by James Bachmeier off Gustavus starter Dave Wold (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.). Hamline extended the lead to three runs in the top of the third on a solo home run by Bennett.
Gustavus battled back with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame as Nate Ruff (So., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) scored on a Shea Roehrkasse RBI single to right field and Mike DesLauriers crossed the plate on a RBI single up the middle by Pat Siering. The Gusties tied the game in the fifth as DesLauriers scored on a fielder’s choice by Tyler Kaus. The play left the bases loaded, but the Pipers extinguished the Gustavus threat as Spencer Campion (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s) lined into a double play to end the inning.
Gustavus reserve third baseman Tory Herman (Fr., Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) opened the tenth with a single up the middle and moved to third on a ground outs by Ruff and DesLauriers. After Tony Konicek was intentionally walked for the fourth time in the game to put runners at the corners, Roehrkasse ended the game with a RBI single to right field.
The Gusties stranded a total of 16 batters during the contest, leaving the bases loaded in both the sixth and eighth innings without scoring a run. The Pipers stranded eight runners, including two each in the fifth, eighth, and tenth innings.
Wold allowed three runs (two earned) and scattered seven hits while striking out eight in 4 2/3 innings of work. Charlie Cicalello (Jr., St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) pitched the final 5 1/3 for Gustavus allowing six hits and striking out six to pick up the win and move to 2-0 on the season. Josh Roiger allowed three runs and scattered six hits in five innings of work but left without the decision. Dom Chenois pitched 4 2/3 innings allowing one run and scattering five hits while striking out three.
Andrew Bennett led the Pipers offensively, going 5-for-5 with a home run and a double with two RBIs and two runs scored. James Bachmeier went 3-for-5 and Pat O’Laughlin finished 2-for-5 as the only other Pipers with multiple hits. Shea Roehrkasse finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, while Mike DesLauriers was 2-for-6 with two runs scored. Seven other Gusties collected at least one hit. Tony Konicek finished 0-for-1, but was walked five times (four intentionally). The five free passes are a school record for a single player in a single game and ranks second all-time in NCAA Division III history.
The Gusties’ MIAC doubleheader with Saint John’s scheduled for Tuesday, April 10, in Collegeville has been postponed to Wednesday, April 11, at 2:30 p.m.