WINONA, Minn. – The Gustavus baseball team split a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader Wednesday at Saint Mary’s, winning the first game 5-1 before losing 11-7 in the nightcap. The split moves the Gusties to 11-7 overall and 3-1 in the MIAC, while the Cardinals move to 11-10 overall and 1-1 in the league.
Gustavus 5, Saint Mary’s 1 (Box Score)
The Gusties scored two runs in the first inning, which proved to be enough, and Brice Panning (Fy., Hamburg, Minn.) pitched six quality innings to earn the game one victory. In the opening frame, Dan Carlson (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) walked and later scored on an RBI single by Nolan Lepel (Jr., Plato, Minn.). Two batters later, Matt Berkner (So., Sleepy Eye, Minn.) singled home Josh Chatfield (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn.), who reached base on a single.
Gustavus took a 4-0 advantage in the fourth on a trio of hits. John DeMarais (Sr., Winona, Minn.) hit a leadoff double and scored on another two-bagger by Chatfield. Lepel ensued with yet another double to score Chatfield. The Cardinals scored their lone run of the game in the bottom half on a wild pitch. The Black and Gold added an insurance run in the seventh as Brock Peterson (Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) walked and scored on a single by John Lundquist (Jr., Rochester, Minn.).
Panning went six strong innings, allowing one run on just two hits with five strikeouts and six walks, moving to 2-0 on the year. Casey Lewandoski (Jr., Fairbanks, Alaska) tossed the final inning with a hit and a walk. Chatfield (2-4, 2R, RBI, 2B), Lepel (2-4, 2 RBI, 2B), and DeMarais (2-4, R, 2 2B) led the Gusties at the plate.
Gustavus 7, Saint Mary’s 11 (Box Score)
The Cardinals scored a run in the first inning and never trailed in game two. The Gusties tied the score 1-1 in the third as Chatfield hit an RBI single to score Cam Hufendick (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn.), but the home squad put up four runs on four hits in the bottom half.
Gustavus got one back in the fourth as Lundquist singled in Berkner, but the Cardinals had another answer in the bottom half with a pair of runs on as many hits. Saint Mary’s took a 10-2 lead in the fifth with three more hits for three runs. The Gusties responded in the sixth with three runs on three hits. Lundquist hit an RBI double, Hufendick hit an RBI single, and Isaiah Welckle (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.) flied out to left field for an RBI.
Gustavus then cut the deficit to four runs (10-6) in the seventh as Ryan Moriarty (So., Le Sueur, Minn.) singled in Lepel, who reached on a hit-by-pitch. The Cardinals scored their 11th run in the eighth after three hits, including two doubles. The Gusties scored one in the ninth on another Lundquist RBI single and totaled 17 hits in the game, but it wasn’t enough as the they dropped the first league game of the season.
Mitchell Nordin (Fy., Mahtomedi, Minn.) suffered the loss after three innings of work. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits with a strikeout and a walk. Lundquist led the team at the dish, going 3-for-5 with a run, three RBI, and a double.
Gustavus hosts its home opener at 2 p.m. Friday against UW-Superior (2-12), which was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday. The Gusties defeated the Yellowjackets 10-4 at the Tucson Invitational last week.