SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus baseball team Tuesday split its home opening doubleheader with Wartburg. The Gusties won game one 4-3 before a 10-4 loss in the night cap, moving to 8-4 overall.
Gustavus 4, Wartburg 3 | Box Score
The Gusties scored the game’s first run in the second inning as Ethan Mocchi (So., Champlin, Minn.) singled home Sam Archer (Sr., Zimmerman, Minn.). The home team took a 2-0 lead in third after Brice Panning (Jr., Hamburg, Minn.) singled and later crossed home on a sacrifice fly by Cole Pengilly (So., Le Sueur, Minn.).
Wartburg answered in the fourth with a trio of runs on four hits to take a 3-2 advantage. In the fifth inning, Carter Clemensen (So., Cologne, Minn.) drove home Panning with a sac fly to tie the game. The Gusties worked their way out of a jam in the sixth. Damon Rademacher (So., Princeton, Minn.) came in relief with two on and one out. A single loaded the bases, but the inning ended with double play.
The game-winning run came in the sixth as Archer scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch.
Rademacher earned the win in 1.2 innings of relief. Archer had a no decision after lasting 4.2 innings with three earned runs on four hits. Six different Gusties had one hit apiece.
Gustavus 4, Wartburg 10 | Box Score
The Knights controlled game two throughout, scoring three runs in each of the second, fifth, and sixth innings.
Charlie Hutchinson (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) got the start and lasted four innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits. Jack Garrison (Fy., Chanhassen, Minn.), Weston Lombard (So., Stillwater, Minn.), and Mitch Nordin (Jr., Mahtomedi, Minn.) each tossed one inning of relief.
Gustavus’s lone inning with any scoring was in the fifth. Matt Berkner (Sr., Sleepy Eye, Minn.) and Mocchi hit consecutive singles, followed by a walked to Dexter Leer (Sr., Owatonna, Minn.) to load the bases for Nick Azar (Fy., Edina, Minn.), who ensued with a grand slam over the left field fence for his first collegiate home run. Panning then singled and Pengilly hit a double to put the tying run in scoring position, but the rally ended with a ground out.
Pengilly was a leader at the plate, batting 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.
Gustavus begins conference play 1 p.m. Saturday at Macalester.