TUCSON, Ariz. – The Gustavus baseball team concluded its 2018 trip at the Tucson Invite on Monday, sweeping North Central University with a school record 34 runs in game one prior to an 8-1 victory in game two.
The Gusties tallied 34 runs with 31 hits and 29 runs batted in, backed by an 11-run first inning. The 34 runs scored is a Gustie Baseball program record. Gustavus defeated Mankato YMCA 37-20 in an exhibition game back in 1921.
Starting pitcher Brice Panning (So., Hamburg, Minn.) started the game on the mound, tossing three scoreless innings to open the game while Gustavus jumped out to a 21-0 advantage.
Ethan Mocchi (Fy., Champlin, Minn.) led the Black and Gold slugfest, tying a single-game school record at the plate with six hits, going 6-7 with four doubles and eight RBI. His performance ties All-American Brad Mazer’s 6-7 game versus Carleton on April 8, 2000.
All but two players in the Gustie lineup notched at least one hit, while eight recorded multiple. Sam Archer (Jr., Zimmerman, Minn.), Grant Brockhouse (Jr., Urbandale, Iowa), and Dexter Leer (Jr., Owatonna, Minn.) each picked up four hits, while John Campisi (Fy., Thornton, Colo.) collected three hits in his collegiate debut.
Panning was the winning pitcher, allowing two runs off of five hits. Mitch Nordin (So., Mahtomedi, Minn.) and Weston Lombard (Fy., Stillwater, Minn.) combined for three innings in relief.
The Gustie bats didn’t quiet down in the second game, tacking on four runs in the first and another four in the fourth en route to the series sweep.
First-year pitcher Christian Johnson (Buffalo, Minn.) received the starting nod on the bump and turned in a solid outing during his collegiate debut, earning the win with five scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and tallying seven strikeouts. Mocchi and John Lundquist (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) each pitched an inning to close out the game.
In the top of the first, Gustavus claimed a 4-0 lead with RBI hits from Panning and Lundquist, along with help from a North Central error and passed ball.
Johnson allowed just one North Central base runner and no hits in innings two through four, while the Gusties secured an eight-run lead in the fourth inning. A Sam Archer double, Cole Pengilly (Fy., Le Sueur, Minn.) triple, and Carter Clemensen (Fy., Cologne, Minn.) sacrifice fly helped lead to the 8-0 advantage.
The Rams scored their sole run of the game in the seventh off a Gustie error. Pengilly and Panning led the Black and Gold at the plate with two hits each. Pengilly went 2-4 with a triple, double, and two runs scored.
The Gusties, now 4-3 overall on the season, returns to action this weekend with doubleheaders versus Luther College Saturday and Sunday in Des Moines, Iowa.