Written by Sports Writing Student Zachary Tlusty '24
SAINT PETER, Minn. — The Gustavus baseball team lost both contests in a doubleheader against Saint John's Saturday, dropping the first game 6-3 and the second 8-5, both in eight innings. Gustavus' record drops to 10-9 on the season and 2-2 in the MIAC.
Gustavus 3, Saint John's 6
Giving up three runs in the top of the eighth inning would prove costly, sealing the first Gustie loss to the Johnnies in game one.
Saint John's got off to a quick start with a solo home run in the first inning, but Gustavus answered back with a solo shot of their own off the bat of
Brady Schmitz in the second to even the score, 1-1.
An RBI single through the right side of the infield in the fourth inning and another solo home run in the seventh put the Johnnies up 3-1 over the Gusties late in the game.
Joe Burns and the Gusties answered once more, though, getting the runs back with a two-run homer to tie the game and force extra innings.
A lead-off home run and a two-RBI single shot into left center field by Saint John's in the eighth inning was to too big of a hole for the Gusties to dig themselves out of. Gustavus stranded one runner in the bottom of the eighth, dropping the opener by a score of 6-3.
Bryce Novak led the hit column for Gustavus, totaling three of the team's nine. Pitcher
Adam Biewen took the mound for Gustavus, as he gave up eight hits and three earned runs through seven innings of work, while also punching out seven batters. Pitcher
Jackson Thielen was credited with the loss after giving up three runs in the eighth inning.
Gustavus 5, Saint John's 8
Gustavus once more gave up three runs in the top half of the eighth inning in game two, falling victim to the Johnnie sweep, 8-5.
Saint John's once again got off to a quick start, scoring on a wild pitch called third strike. The Gusties, however, also got on board in the first inning, as
Chris Knowles blasted a three-run home run to give GAC a 3-1 lead, scoring
Gavin Baker and
Bryce Novak.
Both teams exchanged RBI singles in the third inning, the Gusties' off the bat of Schmitz, resulting in a score of 4-2 heading into the fourth inning. Two bases-loaded walks for the Johnnies evened the score yet again, 4-4 in the fifth inning.
A solo home run in the top of the seventh inning by the Johnnies gave the visitors a one-run lead. With two outs,
Bryce Novak got on base with a clutch single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Schmitz hit a rope right back up the middle to score Novak, 5-5.
With zero outs to start the eighth, Gustavus watched three batters walk 90-feet at a time, as the bases were juiced as a result of two walks and a hit-by-pitch. A fielders-choice RBI, a bases-loaded balk, and a bases-loaded walk gave the Johnnies a three-run lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Christian Ash was able to mitigate the damage as he inherited bases loaded with no outs. He struck out two and popped up another in the infield to end get the team out of the jam. Gustavus was unable to score a run in the eighth and stranded a runner.
The Gusties had nine players take a turn on the mound game two. Starting pitcher
Owen Robinson went 2.1 innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits. Even Novak, coming out of center field, took the mound for Gustavus; he had not recorded an outing since 2021. Novak pitched two innings, allowing two hits, one run, and striking out a pair of batters in nine faced.
Novak, Knowles, and Schmitz accounted for the eight Gustie hits in game two. Novak went 3-for-4 with a trio of runs, Knowles 3-for-3 with a run and three RBI, while Schmitz was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI. Novak's six hits on Saturday tied Hall of Famer Tony Konicek's career program hit record, with 228 that dates back to 2007.
The Gusties are back on Tuesday, hosting Bethel in another key MIAC doubleheader at 1 p.m.
