The Gustavus Adolphus College baseball team ended its regular season Monday by dropping both ends of a doubleheader to St. Olaf. The Oles took game one 12-11 despite two home runs from Gustavus senior Tony Konicek (Rochester, Minn/Mayo) and then got nine runs in the first two innings and a complete game on the mound from Andy Dimick to take game two 9-5. Gustavus returns to the field Friday at the MIAC Tournament in Northfield and Dundas.
Game One – St. Olaf 12, Gustavus Adolphus 11
Gustavus took an early lead with three runs in the bottom of the first as Pat Siering (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) tripled home Tony Konicek and Shea Roehrkasse (Jr., Jackson, Wyo./Jackson Hole) and then scored as the throw from the outfield got away from St. Olaf third baseman Chris Terrazas. St. Olaf quickly got back into the game as a three-run home run in the top of the second by Luke Gagnon tied the score at 3-3. The Gusties answered in the bottom of the frame as Tyler Kaus (Jr., St. James, Minn.) belted a two-run homer to put Gustavus up 5-3.
A second three-run home run by Gagnon followed by back-to-back doubles by Tyler Johnson and Pat Wadzinski plated four in the St. Olaf third to give the Oles a 7-5 lead. A Konicek solo home run to lead off the next half inning brought the Gusties to within a run at 7-6. Gustavus plated four in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Mike DesLauriers (So., Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s) and a three-run home run by Konicek off Ole staring pitcher Paul Johnson to move back into the lead 10-7. The Oles answered in the sixth as Carson Jones hit a two-run triple and Josh Maus hit a two-run home run to give St. Olaf an 11-10 lead.
The Gusties tied the game in the bottom of the sixth as DesLauriers scored on a double by Roehrkasse, but Terrazas singled through the left side off Gustavus reliever Chad Schnettler (Jr., Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) to score Brian Astry and move ahead 12-11. Gustavus put itself in a position to take the win in the bottom of the seventh, putting runners on second and third with only one out before Sommer was able to induce pinch-hitter Robby Wiens (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.) to popup to first base and Kaus to ground out to end the game.
Konicek finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs and three runs scored, while Spencer Campion (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s) and Nate Ruff (So., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) each went 3-for-4 hitting in the bottom one-third of the Gustavus lineup.
Astry finished 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored out of the leadoff spot for the Oles, but Gagnon was the big hitter in game one, going 2-for-3 with six RBIs. Jones was the only other Ole with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
Gustavus starting pitcher Andrew Hoffer (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) and reliever Dave Wold (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) each pitched three innings, allowing a combined 11 runs on 10 hits while striking out four, but neither figured in the decision. Schnettler took the loss, allowing one run on three hits while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.
Alex Sommer picked up the win in relief of Paul Johnson, allowing one run on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Game Two – St. Olaf 9, Gustavus Adolphus 5
The Oles completed the sweep with a 9-5 win in game two, winning a game that started out as an offensive slugfest through two innings and finished as a pitcher’s dual. St. Olaf touched up Gustavus starting pitcher Brandon Knoll (So., Princeton, Minn.) for four runs in the first inning on four hits including a three-run home run by Maus. After the Gusties were retired in order in the bottom half of the first, the Oles continued to build on their lead, scoring four runs off Knoll and another off reliever Kraig Olson (Jr., Blooming Prairie, Minn.) to lead 9-0. St. Olaf scored on a two-RBI double by Andrew Schmiesing, an RBI double by Terrazas, an RBI triple by Jones, and an RBI single by Maus.
Gustavus responded with five runs in the bottom half of the second led by a two-RBI double by Eric Bigham (Fr., Robbinsdale, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s) and RBI doubles by Kaus and DesLauriers.
The game then settled into a pitcher’s dual as Ole starter Andy Dimick went the distance, scattering five runs on six hits and striking out three. Dimick allowed only four Gustie hits in his final five innings of work, while Gustavus relievers Olson (4 IP), Schnettler (1 IP), and Charlie Cicalello (Jr., St. Paul, MInn./Cretin-Derham Hall) (1 IP) combined to scatter five hits in six innings, including three in the final five innings.
DesLauriers was the only Gustavus player to record multiple hits in game two, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Maus led the Oles, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored. Schmiesing and Terrazas each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
The sweep gave the Oles (29-6, 16-4 MIAC) a share of the MIAC regular season title. Due to St. Thomas’ sweep of St. Olaf earlier in the season, the Tommies (28-9, 16-4 MIAC) will be the top seed at this weekend’s MIAC Tournament. Saint John’s (22-14, 15-5 MIAC) locked up the third seed with a sweep of Macalester Monday and will face the Oles in a first round matchup Friday, May 11 at 3:30 p.m. at Sechlar Park in Northfield. Gustavus (21-13, 14-6 MIAC) enters the tournament as the fourth seed and will face St. Thomas at 3:30 p.m. Friday, May 11 at Memorial Park in Dundas.
With two home runs in game one, Konicek became the second Gustie to homer twice in a game this season following Pat Siering’s pair against Bethel on April 28.