Notables
-Neutzling has reached base safely in 50 consecutive games
-Colvard extends hitting streak to 18 games
-CSS has won seven straight extra-inning games, including three this season
DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica baseball team had to battle to gain a split against the University of Northwestern (Minn.) in its first games at Wade Stadium on Thursday, dropping the first contest 11-4, and rallying to win game two 5-4 in 10 innings.
Game 1: UNW 11, CSS 4
The Saints could not manage to get the bats going in the first game of the day, limited to three hits through the first seven innings. In the meantime, the Eagles (8-15, 3-3 UMAC) took advantage of two St. Scholastica errors in the fourth inning to score six unearned runs to open a 7-0 lead.
Northwestern was ahead 11-1 in the bottom of the eighth until
Joey Zwak (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) scored on an
Aaron Weber (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Pierz HS) sacrifice fly as the Saints avoided being mercy-ruled.
Riley Bernsdorf (Meadowlands, Minn./Floodwood HS) followed with a two-run home run to make the final 11-4.
Drew Colvard (Little Canada, Minn./Roseville HS) has two of the team's six hits, including a triple. Wyatt Morrell had a big game for the Eagles with three hits and three RBIs at the plate. Morrell also threw 137 pitches in 7.2 innings on the mound to earn the victory.
Game 2: CSS 5, UNW4 (F/10)
The CSS bats got going early in game two as Colvard, Zwak and
Conor Wollenzien (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS) all singled in the bottom of the first. Wollenzien's hit drove in Colvard. Zwak later scored on a double play to give CSS an early 2-0 lead.
Jake Sande (Hayward, Wis./Hayward HS) got the start on the mound and was cruising through the first three innings, not allowing a hit and faced the minimum through four. However, he would get into trouble in the fifth as a throwing error allowed one Northwestern run to score and then a RBI single tied the contest at 2-2. The Eagles added two more runs in the inning on a bases loaded hit by pitch and a wild pitch to make it 4-2.
Steven Neutzling (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral) led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run off the scoreboard in right center to cut the margin to 4-3. CSS would tie it in the seventh when Weber drew a bases loaded walk to force in Zwak and make it 4-4.
It remained 4-4 through nine innings, signaling extra innings. After the Eagles stranded a runner at second in the top of the 10
th,
Riley Bernsdorf (Meadowlands, Minn./Floodwood HS) and
James Fuerniss (Lonsdale, Minn./New Prague HS) each drew walks to start the bottom frame.
Brad Fossum (Sturgeon Lake, Minn./Moose Lake HS (Concordia-St. Paul)) then laid down a bunt, which was fielded by the pitcher, but his throw to first "airmailed" the first baseman, which allowed
Braydon Hanson (Monticello, Minn./Monticello HS (UW-Whitewater)) to score the game-winning run from second to make the final 5-4.
Joe Gonrowski (Elk River, Minn./Elk River HS) pitched the final six innings in relief to pick up the victory. He struck out three and allowed only two hits. Wollenzien and
Chris Olson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) each had a pair of hits to lead the offense.
Up Next:
The Saints (9-6, 3-1 UMAC) were scheduled to be at the University of Minnesota Morris on Saturday for another Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) doubleheader. The Saints will still face the Cougars on Saturday, but in Duluth as the games have been switched to Wade Stadium beginning at 3 p.m.
