Box Score Box Score
Whitewater Regional Web Site

WHITEWATER, Wis. – The St. Scholastica Saints baseball team rallied twice on Wednesday, but Hamline University was able to take out the Saints 3-2 in 13 innings at the NCAA Regional Tournament on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

The Pipers got on top of the Saints early as Andy Powell led off the game by getting hit by a pitch. Powell then moved to third after two consecutive groundouts. He later scored on an Andy King single to make it 1-0.

The CSS offense struggled as it was sat down in order the first three innings. Brian Marshik (Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View HS ) had the first hit of the game to lead off the fourth. The Saints did not have a runner reach second base until the bottom of the ninth. In that inning, Jake Casareto (International Falls, Minn./Falls HS) led off the inning by drawing a walk. A sacrifice then moved him over to second. Marshik followed with a single to right center and scored Casareto to tie the game 1-1.

Matt Lewis (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) pitched 12 phenomenal innings for the Saints and allowed just one earned run and worked out of a couple of jams. However, the Pipers re-took the lead in the 12th inning as the leadoff batter reached on a Saints error and then scored when Tony Rogers beat out a double play ball.

That meant the Saints had to battle back again in the bottom of the inning. Andy Manos (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake HS ) led off with a single up the middle. He moved to second on a sacrifice and to third on a groundout. With two outs Kyle Moody (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo HS ) beat out an infield single to plate Manos and send the game into the 13th inning.

Jake Nystrom (Fargo, N.D./Fargo North HS) entered the game for the Saints in the 13th and sat down the first two batters he faced. Ben Richardson came up with a two out single and moved up to second on the wild pitch. Dan Ellefson followed with another single to score Richardson and put the Pipers up once again.

CSS was out of magic in the bottom half as it was sat down in order to end the game 3-2. The Pipers advance to face the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, while the Saints will face top-seeded University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

The Saints managed just six hits in the game with Marshik contributing two of the six. In three games played at Prucha Field this season, the Saints have averaged just six hits. CSS also falls to 4-5 in one-run games this season. Hamline's Cass Kreitlow struck out five in 12 innings to get the win.

This was the first extra inning game of the season for the Saints and the last extra inning game at a NCAA Regional for CSS took place just two years ago when the Saints defeated St. Norbert College 7-6 in 11 innings.

St. Scholastica, now 35-6, moves on to face the Pointers, who defeated Aurora University (Ill.) 3-2 in 10 innings to begin the regional. The game will get underway at 1 p.m. tomorrow.