ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Gustavus baseball team was swept during its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference road doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Bethel University, dropping its record to 11-12 overall and 3-5 MIAC on the season.
Both teams were held scoreless through the first five innings during game one before the home team got on the board first in the sixth then added a three-run walk-off homer to dagger the Gusties.
Adam Stockwell (Jr., Apple Valley, Minn.) earned his fifth start on the hill and tossed six solid innings, allowing one Bethel run in the sixth. Stockwell gave up an unearned run on a fielder’s choice as the Royals claimed the 1-0 lead.
Gustavus answered in the top of the seventh with a RBI double from Nolan Lepel (Sr., Plato, Minn.), plating Cole Pengilly (Fy., Le Sueur, Minn.), who led off the inning with a single, tying the game at 1-1.
Damon Rademacher (Fy., Princeton, Minn.) came in to relieve Stockwell, trying to send the game into extras, but he allowed his first runs of the season, surrendering a three-run walk-off home run Royals walked off as 4-1 victors.
Contrary to game one, the bats were going early for both squads. Gustavus jumped out to a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom half of inning five, but a four-run fifth for Bethel proved to be the difference.
The Gusties posted a pair of runs in each the first and third innings, led by a three runs batted in by Lepel and another RBI double from Pengilly. A leadoff homer in the fourth inning from Ethan Mocchi (Fy., Champlin, Minn.), his second of the season, gave the visitors a 5-2 lead, but the Gusties were unable to maintain their advantage.
Bethel got to starting pitcher Charlie Hutchinson (Fy., Maple Grove, Minn.) in the bottom of inning four, leading off with a pair of singles, advancing on a wild pitch and scoring one with another hit. Sam Archer (Jr., Zimmerman, Minn.) came in to relieve and while facing his first batter gave up a three-run home run to John Leach, the walk-off hero from game one.
The Royals added another runs off a couple hits the following inning to gain a 7-5 lead, where the score stood for the remainder of the game.
Archer took the loss on the mound for the Gusties, his first of the season. Lepel (2-3, 3 RBI) and Ryan Moriarty (Jr., Le Sueur, Minn.) (2-4, 1 R) paced the team at the plate.
Next Up
The Gusties are set for another conference doubleheader on the road on Saturday as they travel to Moorhead, Minn. to face Concordia College. Game one is scheduled for a 1 p.m start.