Box Score Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS – The 21st-ranked St. Scholastica baseball team played well, but came up short in both games of a doubleheader against the defending NCAA Division III national champions and No. 1-ranked University of St. Thomas Sunday evening on Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

The Tommies rallied to win game one 6-5 and took the nightcap 3-1. The Saints drop to 2-2 on the year, while this was the Tommies' first games of the season. CSS is now 8-17 against the Tommies since the 2001 season. 12 of the last 18 games in the series have been decided by two runs or less.

In the first game, CSS got out of some jams early. The second batter of the game tripled down the right field line. However, Saints pitcher #Steve Gerten# (Sr.-West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley) struck out the next batter and induced a groundout to end the inning.

In the first three innings, the Saints did not manage a hit, but did get base runners into scoring position in the first and second innings. The Tommies put runners at the corners in the top of the fourth with two outs. Gerten then made a tough play on a high chopper to get the batter at first to end the threat.

The Saints got things going in the bottom of the fourth as #Brandon Peterson# (So.-Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley) doubled to right center for the first hit of the game for CSS. #Paul Kolodge# (Sr.-Cloquet, Minn.) drove in Peterson with a single up the middle. Later in the inning, #Joe Link# (Jr.-Woodbury, Minn.) ripped a double down the left field line with two outs to plate Kolodge and #Andy Manos# (Jr.-White Bear Lake, Minn.) to make it 3-0.

The Tommies got those runs back in the top of the fifth with four runs coming across in the inning. The big play was a three-run double by Tom Wippler to give St. Thomas a 4-3 lead.

CSS responded in the bottom half of the inning as #Tom Juberian# (So.-Park Rapids, Minn.) led off with a single and #Sean Claugherty# (Sr.-Oakdale, Minn./Tartan) followed with a ground-rule double. Juberian then scored on a Gerten sacrifice fly and Claugherty scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-4 CSS.

After a scoreless sixth, the Tommies got things started in the seventh with an infield single. Another single put runners at the corners. Wippler then hurt the Saints again with a RBI-double to tie it at 5-5. Tayler Rahm followed with a run-scoring single to put the Tommies up 6-5.

The Saints got a runner on in the bottom of the seventh, but St. Thomas would prevail with a 6-5 victory.

#Matt Lewis# (Jr.-Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) earned the loss in relief for the Saints. #Josh Hawkins# (Jr.-Woodbury, Minn.) came in for relief of Gerten in the fifth, but had to leave the game in the sixth due to injury. Kris Edwards earned the win in relief for the Tommies. Andy Manos (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake HS ) was 2-for-2 to lead the Saints at the plate.

In game two, the Saints had to throw freshman #David Vogelgesang# (Fr.-Hastings, Minn.) because of the Hawkins injury. In his first collegiate game, the top-ranked Tommies got to him early with a two-run triple and a sacrifice fly to take a 3-0 lead after the first inning.

After that, Vogelgesang settled in as he allowed just three hits the rest of the way and did not allow another run. Vogelgesang went all six innings and allowed five hits and struck out two.

Unfortunately for the Saints, they were going up against preseason All-American Matt Schuld. CSS got its first hit in the fourth and picked up its first run to lead off the fifth as #Scott Greening# (Jr.-Antigo, Wis.) hit a bomb into the left field seats for the Saints' first home run of this young season. The Saints then put a pair of runners on in the sixth, but could not get them across. Schuld finished with 10 strikeouts in the complete-game 3-1 victory.

Steve Gerten (West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) was 2-for-3 to lead the Saints at the plate.

The Saints will now head to Florida for their annual Spring Trip, starting on Sunday, March 14th. On that day, the Saints will face Manhattanville College in doubleheader, starting at 11 a.m. local time. The action can be heard live on ESPN Radio 560-WEBC.