MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Scholastica baseball team traveled to the metropolitan area this afternoon in a doubleheader matchup against MIAC opponent Augsburg. The Saints were led by a lights out performance from its pitching staff, winning game one by a score of 1-0, but the Auggies spoiled a chance for CSS to sweep today's action, winning game two by a score of 9-8 in extra innings.
Game One: CSS: 1, AUG: 0
The Saints put up a run early in the top of the first inning, as after Kyle Oswald (Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) and Jake Schelonka (Sartell, Minn./Sartell HS) launched base hits, Finley Spicer (Aberdeen, N.C./Union Pines HS (Limestone University)) drove in Oswald on a sacrifice fly to give CSS an early 1-0 lead.
Zack Hlinksy got off to a fast start in game one this afternoon, picking up three strikeouts in the first two innings of play, with the Saints still holding a 1-0 lead.
The Saints got a pair of runners on base to begin the top of the third inning, as Luke Krull (Greenville, WI/Xavier HS) recorded an extra-base hit and Schelonka reaching after being hit by a pitch, but the Saints were unable to expand its lead, with the game still sitting at 1-0.
In the top of the fourth inning, Levi Stubbles (San Bruno, Calif./El Camino HS (Skyline College)) would record a two-out triple and Jack Tiemann (Bloomington, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) would both walk and steal a base to put two runners in scoring position, but once again the Saints bats were held silent, stranding a pair of runners.
Hlinksy continued his dominance through the fifth inning of the contest, as five scoreless innings put himself in line to pick up the win in today's first game.
Schelonka was tapped to pick up a two-inning save in the first game, as the Saints were clinging to a one-run lead entering the bottom of the sixth inning. Schelonka was able to deliver exactly what the Saints needed, as the Auggies were held off the board in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings, with CSS earning a hard-fought 1-0 victory in game one.
Game Two: AUG: 9, CSS: 8
Matt Forrest (Oakdale, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) had himself a perfectly executed start to his afternoon in game two, striking out a pair of Auggies batters, en route to a 1-2-3 bottom of the first inning.
The Saints got back-to-back-to-back singles with one out in the top of the second inning from Sam Shopbell (Prior Lake, MN/Prior Lake HS (Fayetteville CC)), Tiemann, and Brady Goebel (Albany, MN/Albany HS) to load the bases. In walked Ryan Garlick (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids HS (Iowa Central CC)), who capitalized and drove in two runs on an extra-base hit to give CSS a 2-0 lead. The Saints would score two more runs in the inning, one on a RBI groundout from Oswald, the other coming on an RBI double by Schelonka, giving CSS a 4-0 lead.
Augsburg was able to score its first run of the afternoon in the bottom of the second inning, cutting into St. Scholastica's lead, 4-1.
After a one-out triple from the Auggies in the bottom of the third, another run would come across on an RBI groundout, as the score now sat at 4-2.
Garlick made his presence felt in the top of the fourth inning, as after being hit by a pitch, he would steal second base, advance to third on a throwing error, and would later score on an RBI single from Oswald, giving the Saints a 5-2 lead.
The Saints would add two more runs to its total in the top of the fifth inning, as Stubbles and Tiemann both picked up RBIs on extra-base hits, bringing the score to 7-2.
Forrest continued to hold down the Augsburg offense, as the Auggies went down quietly in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, with the score remaining at 7-2.
Despite the Saints adding another run in the top of the eighth inning on a Schelonka RBI single, the Auggies offense began to chip into the CSS lead. Augsburg would score three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, trailing 8-4.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Auggies were able to tie things up at 8-8, as the Auggies scored three runs in the inning on three hits including two Saints errors, with the game now heading to extra innings.
The Saints were held in check in the top of the 10th and 11th innings, but the Auggies were able to drive in the winning run on an RBI single to take the second game of the doubleheader by a score of 9-8.
Up Next
The Saints (8-9, 2-3 MIAC) will hit the field next on Wednesday, April 9, where they will host the Oles from St. Olaf at Wade Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
