The Gustavus baseball team stumbled in the Metrodome on Monday afternoon by dropping both games of the doubleheader to Loras College. The Gusties fell 12-4 in game one, and 4-3 in extra innings of game two.
In the first game of the doubleheader, Loras got on the board first, as a single by Ben Kuebel advanced Austin Brown to third base, and a ground ball hit to second baseman Taylor Fish by Danny Lee scored Brown, giving the Duhawks a 1-0 lead. A pair of line drive hits to by Calvin Rea and BJ Juergens on consecutive at bats drove in two more runs, giving Loras a 3-0 lead. Derek Eddie pitched three innings, giving up three runs on four hits.
The Gusties cut the lead to 3-1 after the four innings complete on a double by Alan Woitas and an RBI double by Chad Eul, but Loras would explode for six runs on six hits in the top of the fifth inning. Clay Henrickson closed the inning with a two RBI double that completed a string of six consecutive Duhawk hits. Adam Bren pitched one inning and gave up three runs on four hits, as Ryan Michaelis threw two innings, giving up three runs on four hits.
Gustavus cut the lead to 9-4 in the fifth when Andrew Woitas drove in two runs with a double down the right field line. The Duhawks would come back in the top of the seventh to score three runs, making the score 12-4.
Loras’s Austin Safranski threw six innings, giving up four runs on six hits and getting the win for the Duhawks. Derek Eddie was the losing pitcher and is now 0-1 on the season.
The second game of the doubleheader was a much lower scoring affair. The Gusties were down 2-0 after the top of the fifth inning, as Alan Woitas pitched three innings and gave up two runs on six hits. Gustavus took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning on a three-run home run by Alan Woitas.
Tim Miller came in to relieve Woitas in the fourth inning and threw four complete innings, giving up one run on two hits. The Duhawks got the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI triple by John Schroeder. With the bases loaded and one out in the inning, Miller got Kyle Barton to ground into a 5-2-3 double play, sending the game into extra innings.
Gustavus threatened in the top of the eighth and got two runners on base with a pair of hits by Tory Herman and Andrew Woitas, yet could not get the big hit to score the go-ahead run. Cody Sukalski gave up a lead-off double to Hendrickson to start the bottom of the eighth, and three batters later, Reece Jedlicka hit a dribbling ground ball down the third base line that scored Hendrickson for the game-winning run.
Sukalski was the losing pitcher and moves to 0-1 on the year, as Spencer Radabaugh got the win for Loras. Alan Woitas had a good day at the plate, going 3-7 with three RBIs, a double, and a home run. Tory Herman was also 3-7 at the plate.
Gustavus moves to 1-3 overall, as Loras improves to 4-4 overall. Gustavus will head south to Pheonix, Ariz. on Thursday for it’s Spring Training Trip. The Gusties will take on Thomas College at 12:30 pm on Friday in the opening game of the trip.