Notables -The Saints scored 51 runs in the three game series and gave up just three.-Each game lasted just seven innings.-Game two marked the sixth time CSS pitching has held a team scoreless in a game this season.
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica baseball team defeated Crown College in games two and three of a weekend series by a score of 23-1 in game one and 15-0 in game two Saturday at Wade Stadium.
Game 1: CSS 23 Crown 1CSS scored six runs in the second and 10 in the fifth on their way to a 23-1 rout of Crown in game one.
The Saints batted 12 hitters in the six run second inning. The inning started with four straight hits by
Steven Neutzling (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral ),
Sam Christofferson (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo HS ),
Shayne Ciernia (Eagan, Minn./Breck HS ), and
Jake Kuschke (Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi HS ) which gave the Saints their first three runs of the game.
The other three runs of the second inning all came off the bat of
Tyler Duex (Bloomer, Wis./Chippewa Falls HS (UW-Superior) ) who stroked a two out 3 RBI double scoring Kuschke,
Brian Minks (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral HS ), and
Trevor Bernsdorf (Meadowlands, Minn./Floodwood HS (Doane) ) to make the score 6-0 after two.
Free bases were the story of the ten run fifth inning for the Saints as eight of their 16 batters got on base via a walk or a hit by pitch. Of the ten total runs, five of them were scored via bases loaded walks. Both Bernsdorf and
Michael Grove (Edina, Minn./Edina HS ) tallied two RBIs in the inning off of hits as well for the Saints.
CSS also scored three in the third, two in the fourth and sixth innings as they cruised to a 23-1 game one victory.
Ryan Burmeister (Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS (Augustana, S.D.) ) and
Al Marolt (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) both went 3-for-3 for the Saints with 2 RBIs apiece while
Jake Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Marshall School ) got the win on the mound.
Game 2: CSS 15 Crown 0The Saints used eight runs over the first two innings to fuel a 15-0 shutout of Crown in game two on the day.
Both Bernsdorf and
Chris Olson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS ) had RBI singles in the three run first inning for the Saints while CSS plated five runs in the second using two wild pitches and a 2 RBI triple by Bernsdorf to take a big 8-0 lead early in the game.
After being held off the scoreboard for the third and fourth innings, the Saints would add seven more in the fifth and sixth to take a 15-0 lead into the seventh. The Saints scored three runs in the fifth, two of them unearned after multiple Crown errors, and four in the sixth which also featured sloppy defense on the part of Crown.
The Saints tallied 13 total hits on the day, two of them by Bernsdorf who finished 2-for-2 with five RBIs and three runs scored on the day.
Grant Rindal (Superior, Wis./Superior HS ) pitched six strong innings for the Saints allowing just four hits while striking out eight and walking just one.
CSS (17-7, 9-1 UMAC) will be traveling to St. Paul tomorrow to take on the University of St. Thomas in a non-conference doubleheader with game one set to begin at 1 p.m.
