SAINT PETER, Minn. - No. 21/24 Gustavus baseball split its doubleheader Monday versus Crown College at the Gustie Baseball Field. The first game was a clear Gustie victory with a final score of 11-3. The second game proved to be more of a battle and the Gusties gave it their all in extra innings, but fell 5-4, moving to 13-3 overall on the season.
Gustavus 11, Crown College 3
Luke Siegle took the mound to start game one for the Gusties. With the help of his defense, he held the Polars scoreless in two innings of work. Gustavus took control at the plate and earned two runs in the bottom of the first, scored by
Danny Gavin on a sac fly by
Brayden Kohls, while
Chris Knowles scored on an error.
Three innings in a row, Gustie defense retired the Polars three-up, three-down, leaving them scoreless through four.
Joe Burns extended the Gustie lead to 3-0 in the second as he stole home in the third inning. Polar errors allowed another run for Gustavus as
Mitch Casperson scored in the fourth, bringing the Gustie lead to 4-0.
The Polars scored one in the fifth, but the Gusties quickly answered with a stellar six-run fifth inning. Nearly the whole batting order drilled hits to the outfield as they advanced each other further around the bases. Their scoring streak was started by Kohls and followed by
Brady Schmitz,
Joe Burns,
Tomas Nelson, Gavin, and
Sam Schneider.
The Gusties managed to sneak in another run in the sixth with
Oliver Leupold scoring on Burn's triple. The Polars came back with two more runs in the bottom of the seventh, but it was not enough.
Michael Prosch earned the win after four innings of relief. He allowed one run on four hits with three stikeouts. Gavin led the offense, hitting 3-for-4 with two runs.
Gustavus 4, Crown 5 (10 inn.)
Returning after game one, Knowles hit a one-out single in the first, advanced to second on an error, stole third, and scored as Kohls straightened one out to left center for a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth, Crown scored a solo homer off
Logan Feeney to tie up the game for the first time all day. Siegle answered the Polars with his own solo homer straight over the center field fence in the bottom half for a 2-1 advantage.
The Gusties' action at the plate cooled off as the Polars' heated up, allowing the first Crown lead of the series at 3-2 in the sixth.
Casperson ended the lull with a single to center field, firing up the Gusties. Gavin followed with an RBI double, evening the score once again.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kohls scored on a double by Siegle to bring the Gusties back ahead at 4-3.
Crown rallied in the ninth, tying the game after a single and RBI double. The bottom of the ninth proved unsuccessful for the Gusties, and they moved into extra innings.
Crown tallied another run in the 10th in a failed pickoff attempt and ended the game in the bottom half with a double play.
Kohls led at the plate, batting 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI.
The Gusties head to Mankato tomorrow to play Bethany Lutheran College. When Gustavus and Bethany met earlier this season in Tucson, Ariz., the Gusties won 14-9.
