Notables
-CSS is now 56-0 in the all-time series against Crown
-The last time the Saints swept conference play occurred in 2013 (14-0)
-The 25 runs are the most scored by CSS on the season
-Zwak increases his hitting streak to 19 consecutive games
-Minks recorded his 200th career hit
WATERTOWN, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The College of St. Scholastica baseball team took care of business Saturday afternoon as they swept Crown College to go a perfect 16-0 in conference play throughout the regular season. The Saints took game one 25-1, then followed suit with the allowance of one run in a game two victory of 6-1.
Game 1: CSS 25, CC 1
The Saints came into the doubleheader against Crown riding a five-game win streak, looking to extend it to seven by the end of the day. They easily got to number six, defeating Crown by a whopping score of 25-1. The second inning would be when the Saints struck first, plating a total of six runs early in the ball game.
Tyler Duex (Bloomer, Wis./Chippewa Falls HS (UW-Superior) ),
Brian Minks (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral HS ), and
Steven Neutzling (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral ) all singled in runs during the inning, with Duex's single bringing in two and the others each plating one for CSS.
The Saints kept the foot on the pedal, scoring seven more runs in the third inning to extend their lead to 13-0. Once again it was Duex singling in a run to bring his RBI total to three through just as many innings. The highlight of the inning, however, was Minks homering with Duex and Zwak on base to record three more runs for the Saints.
Tim Munn (Champlin, Minn. /Champlin Park HS ) also recorded a two-RBI single in the inning.
Crown scratched one across in the fourth off a solo home run from David Cruz, but the Saints answered in the top of the fifth with six more runs of their own.
Drew Colvard (Little Canada, Minn./Roseville HS ) sparked the inning, scoring
Michael Grove (Forest Lake, Minn./Edina HS ) on a single up the middle.
Drew Sathrum (Kenyon, Minn. /Kenyon-Wanamingo HS ) then followed up Colvard's single with one of his own to score Munn. Next to bat was
Eric Pearson (Champlin, Minn. /Champlin Park HS ), who took a page out of Minks' book and sent one over the fence for a three-run shot of his own. The final run of the fifth came off a
Haydn Lanoue (Rosemount, Minn. /Rosemount HS ) double to left field to bring the score to 20-1 in favor of the Saints.
As if 20-1 was enough, the Saints scored five more runs in the seventh inning to finalize the score at 25-1. Lanoue,
Jack Seibert (Big Lake, Minn. /Maple Lake HS ), and
Alek Stone (Mahtomedi, Minn. /Mahtomedi HS) all walked with the bases loaded to record an RBI apiece. Colvard followed up the three walks with a single to left field that scored the final two runs of the first game.
Minks performed the best for CSS from the batter's box in game one, going 2-for-3 and recording four RBIs. Munn also had a great first game at the plate going 3-for-4 and knocking in two teammates.
Jordan Thompson (Montevideo, Minn. /Montevideo HS (Ridgewater CC) ) picked up the win for St. Scholastica, going the full seven innings of the game while only giving up one run on two hits. He also recorded nine strikeouts during his outing on the mound.
Game 2: CSS 6, CC 1
CSS picked up where they left off at the end of game one, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning to hold an early 4-0 lead. Minks started it off after reaching on a throwing error by the Crown shortstop, which allowed Duex and Zwak to score.
Conor Wollenzien (North Mankato, Minn. /Mankato West HS) then singled up the middle, scoring Minks to extend the lead to 3-0. Finally,
Riley Bernsdorf (Meadowlands, Minn. /Floodwood HS) scored Neutzling on a groundout to the second baseman to tally the fourth and final run of the first.
Crown answered back with a run in the second inning thanks to a Berend Schnabel single that scored Joel Silva. The scoring would seize until the fourth inning, which is when Neutzling hit his ninth home run of the year. The homer pushed the Saints lead to 6-1 as Duex was on base when the ball sailed over the fence.
Nick Peterson (Richfield, Minn. /Richfield HS (St. Cloud Tech & CC) ) earned the win for the Saints, giving up just one run in five innings of work while striking out eight Storm batters.
Jake Turner (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS ) pitched well in relief, going four innings and only giving up two hits and no runs. Leading the way offensively in game two was Duex, who went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Neutzling went 1-for-3, but recorded two runs and tallied two RBIs.
Up Next
The Saints will now pack their bags and head to St. Paul for a doubleheader matchup against St. Thomas to close out their regular season Sunday afternoon, prior to hosting the UMAC tournament on the 11th of the month. The first game is set to start at 1 p.m.
