Cameron Jurek (Matt Higgins)
Freshman pitcher Cameron Jurek (courtesy of Matt Higgins, MIAC)
4
Winner Saint John's Univ. SJU 27-12
2
Saint Mary's Univ. SMU 26-14-1
Winner
Saint John's Univ. SJU
27-12
4
Final
2
Saint Mary's Univ. SMU
26-14-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Saint John's Univ. SJU 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 4 13 0
Saint Mary's Univ. SMU 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 0

W: Jurek, Cameron (2-1) L: Mathwig (5-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Another Ninth-Inning Homer Propels SJU to MIAC Title Game


Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Another comeback, another ninth-inning home run. Senior outfielder Mike Stegora (Red Wing, Minn.) blasted a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to send Saint John's to the MIAC Tournament's championship game with a 4-2 win over Saint Mary's on Friday, May 13, at Becker Park in Collegeville.

SJU (27-12, 13-7 MIAC) will play the Cardinals (26-14-1, 13-7 MIAC) again at noon on Saturday, May 14, in Collegeville. The Cardinals earned a trip to the title round with a 19-2 win over Hamline Friday night. The Johnnies need to win one game Saturday to earn their second consecutive MIAC Playoff title, the third in the last five years, and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Freshman righty Cameron Jurek (Foley, Minn.) went the distance for SJU, allowing two runs on eight hits in nine innings of work. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.

Senior catcher Gabe MacDonald (Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) gave the Johnnies a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning and tied the game with a ground-rule, RBI double in the eighth.

SMU's Bob Kinne answered MacDonald's RBI single in the bottom half of the fourth with a two-run homer, his seventh of the season, with two outs.

Freshman outfielder Jack Wingerd (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) led SJU with three hits, while MacDonald, senior outfielder Dan Keller (Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake) and freshman second baseman Cole Weaver (Carlsbad, Calif./Santa Fe Christian) added two hits apiece.

SJU handed the loss to SMU's Nathan Mathwig, who entered the game with a 5-0 record, six saves and a 0.93 ERA in 29 innings (17 appearances). He allowed the two deciding runs and four hits in 1.2 innings.

The 2-0 start to the MIAC Tournament is SJU's second all-time and first since 2012, in which the Johnnies' posted a 7-3 win over Bethel in the opener and a 4-2 victory over Saint Mary's. SJU lost its first game of the championship round to St. Thomas (6-3) but bounced back with a 10-5 win to earn its first playoff championship.



 
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