Notables
- CSS had 13 different players cross home plate, combining for 36 runs in the doubleheader
- Minks homered twice in the 11-run ninth inning of game two
- Christofferson recorded two home runs and six RBIs in game one
- The Saints are now 68-9 all-time against MLC
- CSS hit seven home runs in the doubleheader
NEW ULM, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica baseball team took care of business Saturday afternoon, beating down yet again on another Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) team, but not without a scare. This time it was the Knights of Martin Luther College who tried to upset the conference juggernaut, only to fall in game one by a score of 15-0 and in game two by a score of 21-11.
Game 1: CSS 15, MLC 0 (F/7)
The Saints got rolling right away, thanks in part to a Sam Christofferson (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo HS ) two-run home run in the top of the first inning. As if two runs an inning wasn't already a good enough pace to shoot for, the Saints managed to pile together seven runs in the second. Riley Bernsdorf (Meadowlands, Minn. /Floodwood HS) started the monster second inning with a solo home run to left. A couple of Saints were then able to get on base which lead to back-to-back RBI singles by Austin Colvard (Little Canada, Minn./Roseville HS) and Brian Minks (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral HS ). The bases would be loaded after Trevor Bernsdorf (Meadowlands, Minn./Floodwood HS ) singled, bringing Christofferson to the plate for his second time in just two innings. He didn't disappoint. A long bomb over the right-field wall would give him the grand slam and a second home run on the day.
The 9-0 lead after two innings would be more than enough. Minks would hit two RBI-doubles; one in the third inning and one in the fifth. Conor Wollenzien (North Mankato, Minn. /Mankato West HS), attempting to do his best Christofferson impression, hit a three-run home run in the sixth to put the score at 15-0 in favor of CSS.
The game would end in seven innings with Daniel Wood (Canyon, Minn./South Ridge HS ) picking up his second win on the season. Wood went four innings strong and only gave up two hits. Sam Sorenson (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS ) and Kevin Kunik (Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS ) finished off the last three innings in a "no-hitter" fashion.
Game 2: CSS 21, MLC 11
The second game started like the first as there was another home run in the first inning. This time, however, it came off the bat of a Knight. Jonathan Kock hit a three-run home run to left field to put Martin Luther up early. CSS didn't take its foot off the gas as it managed to put together six runs in the next three innings thanks to some key errors by the Knights and some good small-ball decision making.
Martin Luther put together another big inning, this time in the bottom of the fourth. The scoreboard would read 7-3 going into the bottom-half of the fourth, but after drawing a few walks and connecting for a couple singles they found themselves up by four when it was all said and done.
The game started to slow down, as neither team scored until the seventh inning rolled around. This is where the Saints made their move. Minks knocked in one Saint with a single to left field, followed by a Bernsdorf triple to bring the Saints within one.
Action was again halted in the eighth inning, meaning it would come down to three outs for the Saints to come up with one run and tie the ball game. Tying, however, wasn't on the mind of the players in the away dugout.
The Saints would homer three times in the inning, two of them coming off the bat of Minks. Stating that should imply how big of an inning it was, but it wasn't just home runs. The Saints scored a total of 11 runs, yes 11, in the top of the ninth. The Knights wouldn't be able to muster one run across the plate in the bottom of the inning, giving the Saints the 21-11 win.
The win would be given to Joe Gonrowski (Elk River, Minn./Elk River HS ), who came in in relief.
Up Next
St. Scholastica will now travel to St. Paul to take on Bethel University of the MIAC for the third time this year. If the Saints were to win tomorrow's game it would be a season-sweep over the Royals. First pitch is at 1 p.m.
