SAINT PETER, Minn. – The rain Saturday let up and held off during the afternoon for the Gustavus baseball team’s non-conference doubleheader against Central. The Gusties swept the twin bill 13-6, 10-0, improving to 11-0 at home this season and 15-9 overall.
Gustavus 13, Central 6 | BOX SCORE
The Gusties wasted little time taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning as Jack Hanson (Sr., Minnetonka) hit a two-run homer, while Logan Bjorkman (Sr., Lindstrom) later hit an RBI double. The Dutch answered with two runs in the second after two walks and a single, but the Gusties came back with three more runs in the bottom half. Luke Johnson (Sr., Paynesville) led off with a triple and scored on a groundout by Mitch Casperson (Jr., Le Sueur). Bryce Novak (Sr., Cleveland) and Gavin Baker (Sr., Lakeville) each singled and scored on a double by Drake Siens (Jr., Rogers) for a 6-2 lead.
Central hit a solo homer in the third, but again the Gusties responded with another run on the bottom half as Chris Knowles (Jr., New Ulm) hit a leadoff double and scored on an RBI by Nick Azar (Sr., Edina). Gustavus scored three runs in the sixth as Hanson hit an RBI double and Siens belted his second two-run double of the game. The Gusties tacked on three more in the seventh with RBIs from Hanson, Baker, and Siens.
Central scored single runs in seventh, eighth, and ninth, but it wasn’t enough to make a comeback.
Jayce Luna (Sr., Le Sueur) earned the win after 1.2 innings of relief. He allowed three runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts. Jackson Thielen (Fy., Eden Prairie) had a strong relief appearance, going 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts.
Novak (3-5, 4 R, 2B), Baker (3-4, 4 R, RBI. 2B, BB), and Siens (3-5, 5 RBI, 2 2B) led at the plate.
Gustavus 10, Central 0 | BOX SCORE
The Gusties rolled their momentum into the second game by scoring five runs in the first inning. Baker hit a three-run homer, his team-leading seventh of the season, while Azar later hit a sac fly to score Siens, and Johnson followed with an RBI single to score Bjorkman. The Dutch shortstop committed three errors in the frame and the Gusties took full advantage.
Novak added a run in the second after hitting a single and later scoring on a wild pitch. In the fifth, Taylor Klein (Fy., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Tomas Nelson (Fy., Maplewood) scored on a double by Johnson, who then scored on a single by Novak. The final run came in the sixth as Klein was hit by a pitch and scored on a sac fly by Sam Knowles (Fy., New Ulm).
In his first collegiate pitching appearance, Cody Johnson (Fy., Rosemount) earned the win after three innings of scoreless relief. Johnson allowed just one hit with two strikeouts. Five pitchers combined for the shutout.
Novak (2-3, 2 R, RBI) and Johnson (2-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B, SB) paced the offense.
Gustavus hits the road for its next five games, starting with a doubleheader at St. Scholastica on Tuesday.