NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Gustavus baseball team locked up the No. 3 seed for MIAC playoffs with a doubleheader sweep over St. Olaf on Saturday. The Gusties won game one 14-0 and followed with a 10-3 victory in game two. The Gusties improve to 25-11 overall and 12-6 in the MIAC.
Gustavus 14, St. Olaf 0 | BOX SCORE
After a scoreless first inning, the Gusties scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the second as Nick Azar (Sr., Edina) tripled and scored on a single by Dalton Thelen (Sr., Cold Spring). The Gusties piled on four runs in the third on four hits and an error. Jack Hanson (Sr., Minnetonka) hit a two-run homer and Azar had a two-run single.
Two more Gustie runs were scored in the fourth as Hanson hit an RBI single and Mitch Casperson (So., Le Sueur) later stole home. Gustavus put the game completely out of reach in the fifth with five runs on four hits and an error. Luke Johnson (Jr., Paynesville) had a two-run single and Hanson hit his second homer of the game, a three-run bomb over the left field fence.
The final two runs were scored in the seventh as Bryce Novak (Jr., Cleveland) hit a two-run homer.
Casperson earned the win after tossing five scoreless innings. He gave up two hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Jack Garrison (Sr., Chanhassen) pitched the final two frames, allowing one hit. Hanson led at the plate, batting 4-for-5 with six RBI, two runs, two homers, and a stolen base.
Gustavus 10, St. Olaf 3 | BOX SCORE
The Gusties rolled their momentum into game two, scoring five runs in the first three innings. Hanson hit his third home run of the day in the first inning, a solo shot, increasing his MIAC-leading total to 14 on the season, tying the Gustavus single season record with Brad Mazer (2002). Novak hit a two-run homer in the second while Gavin Baker (Jr., Lakeville) followed with an RBI double. Thelen doubled in the third, scoring Azar for a 5-0 lead.
St. Olaf scored its first runs of the day in the fourth after a pair of hits and an error, but Andrew Gustafson (Jr., Maplewood) stranded the bases full with a fly out. The Gusties added three runs in the sixth as Drake Siens (So., Rogers) hit a two-run single after a run-scoring error.
Hanson hit a sac fly in the seventh to make it a 9-2 lead. The Oles scored their final run in the eighth with an RBI double, but the Gusties got that run back in the ninth as Hanson knocked in his ninth run of the day with a single.
Gustafson earned the win after 2.2 innings of relief. He did not give up a run with five hits and two strikeouts. Damon Rademacher (Sr., Princeton) tossed three innings of relief, allowing one run on one hit and a strikeout.
Hanson continued to lead the team at the dish, batting 4-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, a homer, and a sac fly. Novak joined Hanson with four hits, batting 4-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, a homer, and a walk.
Gustavus closes out the regular season Sunday at Concordia.