SAINT PETER, Minn. - The historic 2025 Gustavus baseball season came to an end Saturday on day two of the NCAA regional. The Gusties lost 15-10 to UW-Oshkosh and then fell 9-1 to Chicago, finishing the year with a program best 37-9 record.
Brad Baker ends his 11-year coaching career at Gustavus as the catalyst to turning the program into MIAC champions and now NCAA tournament competitors.
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Gustavus 10, UW-Oshkosh 15
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After scoring 34 runs in their opening game win over Chicago on Friday, the Titans kept the offense rolling early against the Gusties, scoring four runs in the first and another three in the second for a 7-0 lead after two. Oshkosh chased Gustie starter
Benny Mcdonald out of the game with one out in the second as
Michael Prosch came in for an early relief appearance.
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The visitors added another run in the third for an 8-0 advantage before the Gusties got on the board in the fourth.
Drake Siens and
Joe Burns had consecutive walks, while
Isaac Becker followed with his third home run in as many games.
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Oshkosh went up 9-3 in the fifth and the Gusties answered with a run in the bottom half. Siens hit a two-out single and scored on a double by
Ross Hebel. The Titans took advantage of inconsistent Gustie pitching in the sixth, scoring three more times on three walks, a hit by pitch, and a base hit for a 12-4 lead.
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Down but not out, the Gusties kept fighting and scored twice in the bottom half.
Danny Gavin doubled and scored on a base hit by
Brayden Kohls.
Chris Knowles hit a single to move Kohls to third, chasing the Oshkosh starting pitcher out of the game.
Luke Siegle then drove in Kohls on a fielder's choice.
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Again, the Oshkosh batting lineup kept producing with three more runs in the seventh. Gustavus added two runs in the eighth as Siens hit a sac fly to score Kohls, and Burns drove in Siegle with a single. The Gusties put one last rally together in the ninth. Becker and
Dylan Kopesky started with consecutive singles and after a strikeout, Kohls hit another single to score Becker. Down to the last out, Siegle walked to load the bases and Siens followed with another walk for a free RBI, but the game ended on a force out at second.
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Gustavus used five pitchers as Mcdonald suffered his first loss of the season (7-1). Becker led the offense, batting 2-for-5 with two runs, three RBIs, and his sixth home run of the season.
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Gustavus 1, Chicago 9
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Both starting pitchers put a temporary halt to the scoring onslaught that each previous game in the regional produced with three scoreless innings to start the game. The Maroons then opened the scoring in the fourth with four runs on three hits and an error, and tacked on three more in the fifth on just one hit and an error for a 7-0 advantage.
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Brevin Goetz pitched into the fifth inning and got one out before exiting the game. He allowed four earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts, suffering his first loss of the season (5-1).
Jackson Thielen came in relief and tossed 1.2 scoreless innings, including a pickoff at first to end the sixth.
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The Gusties ended the shutout in the fifth as Schneider walked and later scored on a fielder's choice RBI by Knowles.
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Mitch Casperson entered the game to start the seventh and pitched back-to-back scoreless innings to give the Gusties a chance at the plate in a comeback effort. They had an opportunity to chip away in the eighth as Knowles, Burns, and Siegle each singled to load the bases, but the Maroons stranded them full to maintain a 7-1 lead into the ninth. Chicago then poured salt on an open wound, scoring twice more in the ninth to pad its lead and secured the win.
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