The Gustavus Adolphus College baseball team moved to 10-6 on the season and 4-2 in the MIAC with a doubleheader sweep over Augsburg College Saturday afternoon in St. Peter. Gustavus took game one 5-2 behind a strong pitching performance by Kraig Olson and then pounded out 22 hits in game two to complete the sweep with a 19-3 victory.
Game 1 – Gustavus 5, Augsburg 2
Gustavus jumped out to an early lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning as Mike DesLauriers (So., Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s) scored on a RBI ground-out by Shea Roehrkasse (Jr., Jackson, Wyo./Jackson Hole) and Tony Konicek (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo) scored after Augsburg catcher Craig Henry overthrew third base attempting to pick Konicek off.
The Gusties added three more runs in the fourth as Roehrkasse singled in Konicek, who had led off the inning with a double. Tyler Kaus (Jr., St. James, Minn.) followed with a RBI double through the right side to score Roehrkasse and Eric Bigham (Fr., Robbinsdale, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s) capped off the scoring when he crossed the plate on a RBI ground-out by Nate Ruff (So., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson).
The Auggies cut into the Gustavus lead in the fifth, scoring a pair of runs with two outs in the inning. After inducing a double play for the first two outs of the inning, Gustavus starting pitcher Kraig Olson (Jr., Blooming Prairie, Minn.) proceded to hit Auggie center fielder Jeff Stomberg with a pitch and walk right fielder Brian Bambenek in succession. Shortstop Andy Nelson doubled both in with a shot to right-center field but brought the inning to a close as he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple.
Olson pitched 6 1/3 innings, scattering six hits and allowing two earned runs while striking out five. Chad Schnettler (Jr., Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) came on with one out in the seventh and recorded the final two outs to pick up the save. Jon-Eric Urseth took the complete-game loss for the Auggies, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out three.
Konicek led the Gusties offensively in game one with a 3-for-3 effort at the plate with a pair of runs scored. Roehrkasse was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Kaus finished 1-for-3 with a RBI. Craig Henry was the only Auggie with multiple hits in the opener, going 2-for-3.
Game 2 – Gustavus 19, Augsburg 3
The Gusties pounded out 22 hits and Brandon Knoll (So., Princeton, Minn.) scattered two runs on four hits while striking out seven as Gustavus completed the sweep with a 19-3 win in game two. Gustavus plated three runs in the second inning, six in the third, three in the fourth and seven in the fifth as the team scored its most runs since downing Hamline 26-2 on May 5, 2004.
Tony Konicek led the Gusties going 3-for-5 at the plate with five RBIs and two runs scored. Nate Ruff finished 4-for-4 hitting out of the eighth spot in the lineup, driving in three and plating three times himself. Pat Siering (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) finished 3-for-4 with four runs scored and Tyler Kaus went 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Jake Bohnen (So., Sleepy Eye, Minn./St. Mary’s), Konicek, Roehrkasse, Bigham, and Ruff each hit doubles, with Ruff recording a pair, while Kaus and Siering each legged out a triple. For Kaus, it was his fifth of the season, one shy of the single-season record of six set by Brian Sorum in 1997.
Knoll pitched five innings of four-hit ball, allowing two runs while striking out seven. Schnettler pitched the final two innings in relief, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three.
Ricky Schreier and Aaron Hazen each picked up two of Augsburg’s seven hits in the game. The Auggies used five pitchers in the game, with starter Brian Olson taking the loss.
The Gusties will face Saint John’s University (11-8, 4-0 MIAC) in a MIAC doubleheader at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon in Collegeville. Augsburg (11-12, 3-3 MIAC) will face St. Thomas in a league twin-bill 1 p.m. Sunday in St. Paul.