Minneapolis, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus baseball team split its doubleheader with Wartburg on Sunday afternoon in the Metrodome, picking up its second win of the season with a 3-2 victory in game one. The Gusties dropped the second game by the score of 6-2 and are now 2-4 overall heading into their spring training trip to Phoenix, Arizona.
Game 1 – After Wartburg started the scoring in the bottom of the second inning with a run, the Gusties responded with two runs of their own in the top of the third inning to pull ahead 2-1. A pair of singles by Max Laureano (Plymouth, Minn.) and Erik Sveen (Excelsior, Minn.) put runners on the basepaths for Michael Holbrook (St. Cloud, Minn.). After Max Laureano advanced to third on a passed ball, Holbrook singled to score Laureano from third base. After Sveen was thrown out at third attempting to steal from second base, Drew Block (Rochester, Minn.) crushed a triple to right-center field scoring Holbrook from second base.
Wartburg tied the game 2-2 with a run in the top half of the third inning.
After three consecutive innings of scoreless baseball, Gustavus scored the eventual game-winning run in the top of the seventh inning. Pinch-hitter Chris Kelly (Prior Lake, Minn.) singled to deep short and advanced to second base after an errant throw by Wartburg shortstop Ryan Powers. Taylor Fish (Brandon Valley, S.D.) advanced Kelly to third base after hitting a slow rolling ground ball to second base, allowing Kelly enough time to reach third safely. Max Laureano then singled scored Kelly giving the Gusties a 3-2 lead and eventually their second win of the year.
Drew Block was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a triple, while Laureano was also 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Pitcher Kellan Euerle (St. Cloud, Minn.) picked up his first win of the season, improving to 1-2 overall. Euerle threw the complete-game, allowing nine Wartburg hits and giving up two runs while striking out seven batters.
Game 2 – Gustavus jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in game two of the doubleheader. However, the lone run would be the only run Gustavus would manage eventually falling to Wartburg 6-1.
All of Wartburg’s six runs were scored in the top of the sixth inning. The Knights finally caught up to Gustie southpaw Grant Soderberg (Eden Prairie, Minn.) who was making his collegiate debut on the mound Sunday evening. Wartburg scored two runs before Tom Jaede (Eagan, Minn.) relieved Soderberg with one out in the sixth. The pitching change didn’t faze the Knight hitters as they proceeded to score four more runs to close out the inning.
The Gusties could only manage one more hit in the next two innings – a triple by Tim Miller (Eden Prairie, Minn.) – before falling to Wartburg 6-1.
Miller led Gustavus at the dish in game two, going 2-for-3 with a triple, a stolen base and scoring the lone Gustie run. Despite suffering the loss, Soderberg had an exceptional collegiate debut. Soderberg pitched five and 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on four hits and striking out five batters.
Gustavus will head down south to Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday, March 21 to play a total of seven games in four days before returning to Minnesota on Sunday, March 25.