Box Score Box score
The Saints, who last played a game on March 24, showed little rust in their conference-opening match-up with Crown College on Monday evening in Watertown, Minn., routing the host Purple Storm by a score of 16-1.
Peter Burg (St. Joseph, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral) (6-0) started and picked up the win for the Saints, but Coach John Baggs used a total of five different pitchers -- none of whom threw more than two innings -- that limited Crown to just a pair of hits and a last inning run.
Chad Peterson (New Brighton, Minn./St. Anthony Village HS) led the game off with a single to left then came around to score on Sean Claugherty (Oakdale, Minn./Tartan HS)'s double to left, opening the flood gates in a five run first inning.
With more runs coming in the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings, the Saints built a 15-0 lead before Crown could get their first hit of the game in the bottom of the fifth.
Claugherty, in a 3-for-3 performance, picked up two more RBI with a fourth inning home run. Peterson, Darrin Carlson (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown HS) and Steve Gerten (West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) also had three hits apiece in the rout with both Carlson and Gerten matching Claugherty's 3 RBI night.
The victory improves the Saints' overall record to 13-3, and opens the defense of their 2007 UMAC title with a 1-0 conference mark. Crown falls to 2-12 and 0-3.
