YANKTON, S.D. – The Gustavus baseball team exploded for six runs in the ninth inning Saturday, leading to an 8-1 victory over Mount Marty College in non-conference action. The Gusties pick up their first win of the season, moving to 1-2 overall.
Gustavus scored a run in the first inning and held a 1-0 lead through the first three frames. Isaiah Welckle (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) led off the game with a double and scored on an error. The Gusties then took a 2-0 advantage in the fourth inning as Danny Carlson (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) walked, Nolan Lepel (Jr., Plato, Minn.) singled, and a squeeze bunt by Matt Berkner (So., Sleepy Eye, Minn.) scored Carlson. Mount Marty answered in the bottom half with a run to make the score 2-1. After four scoreless innings, the Black and Gold erupted for six runs on eight hits in the ninth and held the home team scoreless in the bottom half for a convincing seven-run win.
Connor Kern (Sr., Hutchinson, Minn.) earned the victory for the Gusties after pitching five innings. Casey Lewandoski (Jr., Fairbanks, Alaska) struck out one batter in three innings of relief. Jacob Braun (Sr., Wayzata, Minn.) pitched the final inning and struck out the side. The visitors collected 11 hits in the game, while the defense committed two errors. The Lancers were limited to just four hits.
Gustavus and Mount Marty are back at it tomorrow with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Bob Tereshinski Stadium.