Box Score

DULUTH, Minn. – The 14th-ranked St. Scholastica baseball team opened its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference series against Bethany Lutheran College with a 5-4 walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday night. 

Before the game, the two teams honored the late Bethany Lutheran assistant coach Todd Mann and late CSS head coach John Baggs, both of whom passed away over the last year and a half after being diagnosed with cancer. The teams wore commemorative jerseys featuring the name and number of their fallen coaches. 

Right-hander #David Vogelgesang# (Fr.-Hastings, Minn.) took the hill for the Saints in the series opener, throwing 5.2 innings, allowing just three earned runs, and striking out six Vikings. He was relieved by #Josh Retka# (Jr.-Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) in the sixth, who allowed just one run over 3.1 innings of work to earn his first victory of the season. 

Until the ninth inning, the story of the game was Vikings junior pitcher Cody Hallahan, who pitched eight dominant innings, striking out 12 Saints batters while holding them to three runs. 

Bethany Lutheran staked Hallahan to an early 3-0 lead by the fourth inning. The Saints scored one run in the bottom of the frame as #Steve Gerten# (Sr.-West St. Paul, Minn./Sibley HS) hit an RBI double to put the Saints on the board. One batter later, Gerten was thrown out at the plate on a very close play following a #Paul Kolodge# (Sr.-Cloquet, Minn.) single. 

Hallahan kept the Saints quiet for two more innings until Kolodge once again came on with runners on, knocking in Gerten and #Scott Greening# (Jr.-Antigo, Wis./Mesabi CC) with a two-RBI double to tie the game up at three apiece. 

In the top of the seventh, Vikings right fielder Zach Herd came around to score after a hit-by-pitch put the lead –off man on, putting Bethany up 4-3. Hallahan held the one-run lead until the bottom of the ninth, when lefty Ashton Dorris came in for the save situation. 

Shortstop #Andy Manos# (Jr.-White Bear Lake, Minn.) and centerfielder #Joe Link# (Woodbury, Minn.) led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After a flyout by #Brian Marshik# (Jr.-Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View HS), first baseman #Sean Claugherty# (Sr.-Oakdale, Minn./Tartan HS) broke up an 0-for-4 night by knocking a single to center field to drive in the game-tying run. With the single, Claugherty extended his hitting streak to 21 games. 

After an intentional walk to Scott Greening (Antigo, Wis./Antigo HS (Mesabi CC)) loaded the bases, Dorris pitched to a full count against #Brandon Peterson# (So.-Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS), who earned a walk-off walk on the very next pitch to clinch the series-opening victory. 

Kolodge and Gerten led the Saints offensively, with two hits apiece against the tough Viking pitcher. 

CSS improves to 24-3 overall on the season and remains undefeated at 9-0 in the UMAC. Bethany Lutheran falls to 19-4 overall and 9-1 in-conference.

The Saints and Vikings will conclude their series tomorrow at Wade Stadium with a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled for noon. The game can be heard live on ESPN Radio 560-WEBC.