The Gustavus baseball team suffered a sweep at the hands of Macalester on Friday afternoon at the Gustie Baseball Field. Photo courtesy of Morgan Stock - Sport PiX.
St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus baseball team suffered its third consecutive MIAC sweep on Friday afternoon, falling to Macalester College by scores of 8-4 and 5-0 at the Gustie Baseball Field. Gustavus is now 5-15 overall and 2-10 in the MIAC, while Macalester improves to 10-16 overall and 3-9 in the MIAC.
Game One Recap
Gustavus was the first squad to get on the scoreboard in the day’s opening game when Logan Thomas (Fr., Lake City, Minn.) drew a walk that brought in Isaiah Welckle (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn.).
The Gusties added to their one run advantage two innings later in the bottom of the third. Taylor Bigandt (So., Littleton, Colo.) laced a single to center field and then advanced to second base on a passed ball. With two outs, Chris Kelly (Jr., Savage, Minn.) looped a single to center that brought across Bigandt and gave Gustavus a 2-0 lead. Kelly scored later in the inning to put Gustavus up 3-0 after advancing three bases on two passed balls and a wild pitch.
Macalester cut the lead to 3-1 with a run in the top of the fourth inning, and then tied the game with two runs in the top of the fifth.
Gustavus answered with a run in the bottom half of the fifth frame to take back the lead at 4-3. After two quick outs begin the inning, Kelly earned first base via a walk. He went on to take second on a wild pitch, advance to third on a passed ball, and eventually score on another wild pitch.
After a scoreless sixth inning, disaster struck for Gustavus in the top of the seventh. Starter Grant Soderberg (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.), who was looking for his first decision within league play heading into the game, had a one-run lead after allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits through six complete.
Third baseman Isaiah Welckle scales the fence to come up with a catch in game two against the Scots. Photo courtesy of Morgan Stock – Sport PiX.
The Scots teed off on the junior in their final at-bat of the contest, recording five runs on five hits. Peter Bertel ripped a two-run double to right center, and Sam Berk put the nail in the coffin with a two-run single up the middle to bring the score to a final.
Soderberg, who is now 1-1 on the year, allowed eight runs (six earned) on 12 hits with three strikeouts. Macalester starter Lucas Babinec went four and two-thirds innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits with six strikeouts and six walks. Forest Redlin earned his first win of the season after shutting the Gusties out over the final two innings.
The Gusties couldn’t generate any offense in game two and were shut out for the fourth time this season. Although Gustavus matched Macalester’s hit total with six, the club wasn’t able to find a way to bring runners across home plate.
Macalester starter Justin Kleschen made his defense work in a complete-game shutout effort. He allowed six hits, struck out two, walked two, and recorded 16 ground-ball outs.
Sam Carlson (St. James, Minn.) suffered the loss (2-2) after giving up five runs (one earned) on four hits through five and two-thirds innings of work. Carlson allowed his only earned run of the afternoon in the top of the third inning when Forster doubled to center to bring in Ross Bronfenbrenner.
The Scots did the rest of their scoring in the sixth inning where they tacked on four runs on just one hit.
Gustavus’s Michael Strelow (Jr., Braham, Minn.), Steven Zehms (Jr., Sherburn, Minn.), Dan Venn (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn.), and Jake Volness (So., Cokato, Minn.) combined four three and one-third scoreless innings to close out the game. Aside from Strelow, who finished off the sixth, Zehms, Venn, and Volness all pitched one complete inning.
Scott Benjamin (Sr., Northfield, Minn.) and Cody Christensen (So., Luverne, Minn.) led the way at the plate with two hits each. Benjamin went 2-for-4, while Christensen went 2-for-3.