ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus baseball team opened play at the newly renovated Gustie Baseball Field Wednesday afternoon, sweeping the University of Minnesota-Morris with 3-1 and 6-1 victories during the non-conference home-opening doubleheader.
A collective pitching effort and consistent defensive play helped guide the Gusties to two wins over the Cougars, improving their overall record to 7-6 on the season. The Black and Gold used five pitchers each game, allowing a total of two runs off six hits.
Gustavus 3, UM-Morris 1 (Game One)
Gustavus grabbed a 3-0 advantage in the third inning and didn’t allow a Cougar base hit until the sixth inning in the first game. Adam Stockwell (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.) started his third game of the season on the mound and didn’t allow a hit in two innings, while Damon Rademacher (Fy., Princeton, Minn.) and Ethan Mocchi (Fy., Champlin, Minn.) followed with hitless performances through the fifth inning.
Brice Panning (So., Hamburg, Minn.) put the Gusties on the board with a solo home run to right center, the first of his career, in the second inning. Gustavus then added a pair in the third inning with an RBI single from Cole Pengilly (Fy., Le Sueur, Minn.) before claiming a 3-0 lead with three consecutive base on balls.
John Lundquist (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) pitched a scoreless sixth inning despite surrendering the first UMM hit, setting up a save opportunity for Panning in the seventh. Panning allowed a hit and two walks, allowing the sole run of the game, but earned his first save of the season in the 3-1 win.
Brock Peterson (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) led the Gusties at the plate with two hits, while Pengilly and Panning each had one hit and one RBI. Rademacher earned his first collegiate victory on the mound, claiming three strikeouts in two innings while moving his record to 1-0 on the season.
Gustavus 6, UM-Morris 1 (Game Two)
The Gusties once again didn’t allow a run to the visitors until the final inning and were backed by a four-run fourth inning to gain a 6-0 lead.
Ryan Moriarty (Jr., Le Sueur, Minn.) led off the game with a base on balls and came around to score, scoring on a throw to second while Panning swiped second base. In the third inning, Moriarty earned another walk and gave the Gusties a 2-0 lead after stealing second, advancing to third on a groundout, and scoring from a Nolan Lepel (Sr., Plato, Minn.) single.
Starting pitcher Charlie Hutchinson (Fy., Maple Grove, Minn.) tossed three scoreless innings, tallying three strikeouts while disallowing any Cougar base hits.
In the fourth inning, Carter Clemensen (Fy., Cologne, Minn.) and Lundquist led off with singles, then Nathan Lindberg (Fy., Bloomington, Minn.) was tasked with a sacrifice attempt. Lindberg advanced to third base while Clemensen and Lundquist scored after an errant throw from the Cougar pitcher off of Lindberg’s bunt. A sacrifice fly from Peterson then scored Lindberg, and an RBI single by Moriarty scored Matt Berkner (Jr., Sleepy Eye, Minn.) after he reached second with a double, giving the home team a 6-0 lead.
Ben Brauer (Fy., Minneapolis, Minn.), Mitch Nordin (So., Mahtomedi, Minn.), Weston Lombard (Fy., Stillwater, Minn.), and Casey Lewandoski (Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska) followed Hutchinson in relief, pitching one inning each in the win. Brauer pitched the fourth inning and earned the win, his first collegiate victory.
Clemensen led the team with two hits, while Moriarty and Lepel each had one hit and one RBI.
Next Up
Tomorrow afternoon, the Gusties host another two non-conference seven-inning games versus Bethany Lutheran College. First game is set for a 2:30 p.m. start.