Notables
-Schelonka goes 4-5, hits sixth home run of season
-Finley goes 3-3 with 3 RBI
-Forrest throws complete game for first win of season
DAVENPORT, Fla. – With the Russmatt Invitational slowly wrapping up, the St. Scholastica baseball team kept its winning ways going this evening, earning a 12-2 victory over Principia College. The Saints trailed heading into the late innings, but behind two five-run innings in the seventh and eighth, pulled away with a 12-2 victory.
How it Happened
Jake Schelonka (Sartell, Minn./Sartell HS) picked up his first extra-base hit of the game in the bottom of the first with one out, lining a double into the gap, but it would amount to nothing as the game remained tied after the opening three innings.
Matt Forrest (Oakdale, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) was handed the ball on the mound for CSS, with the first four innings going smoothly with four shutout innings to begin the game.
Principia was the one who broke the 0-0 tie in the top of the fifth inning, scoring two runs on three hits, to take a 2-0 lead over CSS.
After Forrest was able to retire the Panthers in the top of the sixth inning, the Saints got early action with singles by Schelonka and Adam Braun (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS (Central Lakes CC)), followed by a double steal that put two runners in scoring position for CSS.
Back-to-back singles for Alex Haapajoki (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd HS (Central Lakes)) and Finley Spicer (Aberdeen, N.C./Union Pines HS (Limestone University)) later in the inning would bring in both Schelonka and Braun to tie the game at 2-2 after six innings of play.
Forrest continued his strong start through the seventh inning, setting down the Panthers in order to bring CSS to the plate for the bottom of the seventh.
St. Scholastica got two runners on to begin the inning, with Mitchell Novak (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) and Schelonka both reaching base. Two runners would come across on a 2-RBI single from Braun, followed by an RBI single by Haapajoki to score Braun and give CSS a 5-2 lead.
The Saints got two more runs in the inning, with Sam Shopbell (Prior Lake, MN/Prior Lake HS (Fayetteville CC)) and Kyle Oswald (Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) picking up RBIs, putting CSS in front 7-2 after seven innings.
Schelonka led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a solo home run to extend the Saints lead to 8-2. A few batters later, Spicer drove in two more runners on a 2-RBI single, putting CSS up 10-2 over Principia. Capping off the evening for St. Scholastica, two more runners would come across the plate on a wild pitch to secure a 12-2 mercy rule finish, and a victory to extend its winning streak to eight straight games.
Up Next
The Saints (8-1, 0-0) will conclude the Russmatt Invitational on Friday, where they will take on Wisconsin-Stout. First pitch is scheduled for 9:30 A.M. EST
