TUCSON, Ariz. – After a day off on its spring break trip, the Gustavus baseball team fell to Aurora University on Tuesday night 7-2. With the loss the Gusties fall to 2-2 on the year.
The Spartans, who received votes in the latest D3baseball.com poll and came into the contest 3-0, started hot in the top of the first inning, rattling off four hits for four runs to take the early lead. The Gusties threatened in the bottom half, with Ryan Moriarty (Sr., Le Sueur, Minn.) and Cole Pengilly (So., Le Sueur, Minn.) both reaching to start the inning but the Spartans would get out of the jam scathe free.
Aurora used another strong inning in the third, putting up two more hits, paired with a few walks to knock Gustavus starting pitcher Christian Johnson (So., Buffalo, Minn) from the game and tack on three more runs. Gavyn Walsh (So., Andover, Minn.) came on in relief in the inning and retired the last two batters.
Walsh went the next four innings, allowing just one hit and no runs in his four and two-thirds innings of work and Ethan Mocchi (So., Champlin, Minn.) threw the last two innings, also allowing just one hit and no runs, but the seven-run deficit could not be overcome by the Gusties.
Gustavus got their two runs in the contest in the fourth inning when Brice Panning (Jr., Hamburg, Minn.) reached on an error to start the inning followed by a Matt Berkner (Sr., Sleepy Eye, Minn.) triple to plate the first run. Berkner then scored on a sacrifice fly by Mocchi to plate the lone two Gustavus runs in the contest.
Johnson suffered the loss in the contest, allowing seven earned runs on six hits in two and a third innings on the bump.
Nathan Lindberg (So., Bloomington, Minn.) led the Black and Gold with two hits in the contest, while five other Gusties recorded one.
The Gusties are back in action this afternoon for a 4 p.m. contest with Wabash.