Game 1 Box Score |
Game 2 Box Score
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Solid pitching and timely hitting fueled Saint John's baseball to a doubleheader sweep of No. 8/11 St. Thomas, 4-1 and 8-7 in 10 innings, on Tuesday, April 26, in Collegeville.
The sweep of the Tommies was the first for SJU (24-9, 12-4 MIAC) since 1998 and the first at home since 1993. The Johnnies have now won each of the last five meetings with St. Thomas on the diamond going back to last season.
Three Johnnie pitchers combined to hold UST to a .190 batting average (11-for-58) on the day, including .154 (2-for-13) with runners in scoring position and .182 (4-for-22) with two outs, and registered a 1.06 ERA. The Tommies entered the doubleheader batting .326 but were 3-3 in their last six games.
Senior
Patrick Strey (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) went 3-for-6 with three runs scored and five RBI on the day. He gave SJU a 2-0 lead with a two-run double off the left-field fence in game one and belted a three-run homer, his fifth of the season, to give the Johnnies a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game two. The double in game one, his 18th of the year, set a new SJU single-season record.
Aside from his showing at the plate, Strey also turned in a masterful performance on the mound in game one. He went the distance, allowing one run on only four hits to improve to 4-3 on the season. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.
The Tommies (22-8, 11-3 MIAC) cut SJU's lead to 2-1 in the third inning of game one, but the home team tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth to seal the win. After Strey was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second, senior catcher
Gabe MacDonald (Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) stroked an RBI double to the left-center gap and freshman outfielder
Jack Wingerd (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) followed with an RBI single.
UST's Drew Molin, the reigning MIAC Pitcher of the Week, was saddled with the loss, allowing all four runs on six hits.
Sparked by Strey's three-run homer in the first inning, SJU jumped out to a 6-0 lead in game two. The Tommies, however, scored five unearned runs in the fifth inning, thanks to a grand slam off the bat of Jake Smith, and added single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to gain a 7-6 lead.
Senior outfielder
Mike Stegora (Red Wing, Minn.) singled with one out in the bottom of the eighth and advanced to third on a two-out single from freshman outfielder
Max Jackson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall). Freshman second baseman
Cole Weaver (Carlsbad, Calif./Santa Fe Christian) entered the batter's box with a 0-for-6 afternoon, but dropped an RBI double down the left-field line to tie the game at 7-7. The extra-inning game was SJU's fifth of the season (3-2 record).
Sophomore
Nick Noack (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake) gave up a leadoff double to Chad Clute to start the 10th inning, but coaxed a sacrifice bunt, a flyout to right field and posted a strikeout looking to end the side.
Wingerd started the bottom half of the 10th with an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by the UST shortstop. Senior outfielder
Dan Keller (Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake) clinched the victory and the sweep with an RBI single up the middle with one out.
The Tommies' Eric Veglahn suffered his first loss of the season (5-1) via the unearned run.
Noack improved to 6-0 with the win in relief, allowing one hit in 2.2 innings.
Junior
Alex Kendall (St. Cloud, Minn./Saint John's Prep) displayed another strong outing on the hill in the no-decision. He allowed seven runs, though only one was earned, with five strikeouts in 7.1 innings pitched.
Junior third baseman
Derek Schiebel (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) went 4-for-8 at the plate with three runs scored and is now 10-for-25 (.400) with eight runs scored in his last six games against the Tommies.
The Johnnies travel to face the defending MIAC regular-season champions, Bethel, for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 30, at Hargis Park in Arden Hills.
