The Gustavus Adolphus College baseball team stepped out of league play Sunday, falling to College of St. Scholastica 13-1 and 7-0 at Wade Stadium in Duluth. Tyler Kaus (Jr., St. James, Minn.), Shea Roehrkasse (Jr., Jackson, Wyo./Jackson Hole), and Nate Ruff (So., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) each picked up two hits on the day.
Game One – St. Scholastica 13, Gustavus Adolphus 1
St. Scholastica pounded out 13 runs on 13 hits and one Gustavus error to take game one of the doubleheader by a 13-1 margin. Gustavus took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Tony Konicek (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo) in the top of the first inning that scored Kaus, but the Saints responded in the bottom half of the inning with eight runs off Gustavus starting pitcher Derek Eddie (Fr., Owatonna, Minn.).
St. Scholastica was powered in the first by six straight base hits capped by a three-run home run by Mike Lewis. The Saints posted four more on the board in the third by making the most of singles from Keith Ritsche and Lewis along with three walks.
The Gusties picked up hits from Kaus, Roehrkasse, Pat Siering (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.), Jake Bohnen (So., Sleepy Eye, Minn./St. Mary’s), and Ruff.
Blake Eller, Steve Kraushaar, Ritsche, and Lewis had multi-hit games for the Saints, each with two apiece. Lewis finished with five RBI.
Eddie lasted just 2/3 of an inning before being lifted for Adam Bren (Fr., Chatfield, Minn.). Bren allowed four runs on two hits and struck out three in 3 1/3 innings. Andrew Woitas (Fr., Sleepy Eye, Minn./St. Mary’s) pitched the final two innings, allowing a run on four hits and a walk.
Aidan Kummet pitched a complete-game five hitter, striking out seven and allowing the lone Gustavus run in the top of the first inning. From the second through seventh innings, Kummet faced only two batters over the minimum, twice getting double-play grounders to clear the base paths.
Game Two – St. Scholastica 7, Gustavus Adolphus 0
The Saints picked a run in each of the first three innings and then exploded for four in the fourth off Gustavus starting pitcher Jake Kruegel (Fr., Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) to complete the sweep of the Gusties with a 7-0 win in game two. Mark Erickson pitched a complete game six-hitter for St. Scholastica, striking out six and walking one Gustavus batter.
Blake Eller went 3-for-3 to lead the Saints, highlighted by a three-RBI triple in the fourth. Eller also scored three runs and recorded a double and a stolen base. Steve Kraushaar went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Darin Carlson added a 2-for-3 effort with a RBI and a run scored.
Kaus, Roehrkasse, Mike DesLauriers (So., Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s), and Spencer Campion (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s) each finished 1-for-3, while Ruff and Konicek went 1-for-2 for the Gusties.
Kruegel allowed seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings to take the loss for Gustavus. Tory Herman (Fr., Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, walking a pair and striking out one.
Gustavus (15-9, 9-3 MIAC) returns to MIAC action Tuesday, April 24 at Macalester (13-14, 4-6 MIAC) in St. Paul.