Notables

-Schelonka hits two home runs

-Oswald homers, records two RBI

-CSS uses 10 different pitchers

DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Scholastica baseball team opened its season and home opener this afternoon with a commanding victory over the Rams from North Central University. The Saints took an early lead, scoring six runs through the opening two innings, and didn't look back as CSS came away with a 14-3 victory to open the season. 

How it Happened
After a one-two-three first inning for today's starting pitcher Payton Jeffries (Vancouver, Wash./Union HS (Shasta College)), the Saints offense got its day started with a triple from Finley Spicer (Aberdeen, N.C./Union Pines HS (Limestone University)), followed by a towering two-run home run by Jake Schelonka (Sartell, Minn./Sartell HS) to give CSS an early 2-0 lead. 

Matt Forrest (Oakdale, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) entered in the next half inning for the Saints, striking out the final batter of the inning to preserve the Saints' lead. 

In the bottom of the second, the Saints offense picked up right where it left off, with Cody Horon (Union Grove, Wis./Union Grove HS (Northern State University)) and Levi Stubbles (San Bruno, Calif./El Camino HS (Skyline College)) each getting on base, and both would later score in the inning, with Horon scoring on a wild pitch, and Stubbles on an RBI single by Luke Schemenauer (Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chippewa Falls HS). 

Later in the inning, the Saints would score two more, with Mitchell Novak (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) and Adam Braun (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS (Central Lakes CC)) driving in runners on sacrifice flies, giving CSS a 6-0 lead. 

Grant Taival (Lake Elmo, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) and T.J. Martin (Minneapolis, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels) would cruise through the next two innings for the Saints, with the duo both recording strikeouts with the score still at 6-0. 

After Matt Juza (Rice Lake, Wis./Rice Lake HS) struck out two batters to end the top of the sixth for the Saints, it would be the offense's turn to go to work. The Saints would be able to bring three men across to extend its lead to 9-0. 

The Rams added two runs of its own in the top of the sixth and seventh innings, respectively. However, the Saints added a run as well, with Schelonka scoring on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 10-2. 

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Saints played longball twice, with Schelonka hitting his second home run of the game, followed by a two-run home run by Kyle Oswald (Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi HS), extending the lead to 13-2. 

CSS would add another run in the bottom of the eighth inning, and although the Rams added a run in the ninth, the Saints finished off a commanding 14-3 victory to open the season this afternoon. 

Brooks Repking earned his first as a Saint with the dominant victory, overall he was proud of the team effort and energy.

Up Next
The Saints (1-0, 0-0) will travel to Davenport, Florida for its next games, which will take place on March 8th, where they will play their first games in the Russmatt Invitational.