SAINT PETER, Minn. - The Gustavus Adolphus College baseball team opened their 2026 campaign Sunday afternoon with a thrilling doubleheader sweep over UW-Superior at home. Game one saw the Gusties blank the Yellowjackets, 2-0, and in the second game, a 3-2 walkoff comeback victory.
Game one starter, junior Oliver Geil, was terrific on the bump, pitching four shutout innings, scattering four hits, and striking out five Yellowjackets. Geil worked himself out of a jam in the 2nd with back to back strikeouts.
The Gusties offense scored twice in the first inning, courtesy of senior outfielder
Joe Burns and sophomore infielder
Charles Gearen. Burns drove in Preseason All-American junior outfielder
Brayden Kohls with a triple whilst Gearen drove in Burns with a sacrifice fly. Kohls' led off the home half of the first with a single.
A couple of sparkling defensive plays would anchor the fourth inning, Kohls made a spectacular leaping catch in center and Gearen made a diving stop at first before flipping the ball to Geil for the second out.
The Gusties made a pitching change entering the fifth inning where southpaw
Logan Feeney, a sophomore, closed out the game with three scoreless innings, including striking out the side in the seventh. Feeney finished the game with four strikeouts and without allowing a hit.
Geil for his efforts was bestowed the win, while Feeney earned a save for his three innings of dominance, in the first game of the twin billing.
The second game of this afternoon's double header featured late inning heroics from the Gusties. Superior was held in check through four innings before squeezing across a run in the fifth. Toeing the slab for the Gusties was lefty junior
Benny McDonald who pitched a very good five innings before being relieved in the sixth. McDonald allowed just one run across five innings, striking out two Yellowjackets in a great performance.
Gustavus pitching and defense worked to get out of a tricky jam in the seventh inning and held the Yellowjackets scoreless throughout the final two frames.
It was in the bottom of the ninth that the Gusties battled and put together several strong at-bats.
Tomas Nelson, a pinch hitter in the sixth for Gearen, was hit by a pitch to start the ninth inning rally. Senior infielder
Ross Hebel laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Nelson to second. Catcher
Isaac Becker, a graduate student, advanced Nelson to third after working the count to three and one before, on the second pitch he saw from UW-Superiors closer, junior infielder
Isaiah Hasz drove a long fly ball way out to left field and over the wall to walk it off for the Gusties.
Alex Swenson, a senior righthander, got the win in the gutsy, come from behind victory for the Gusties as they sweep UW-Superior in their season opener. Swenson finished with two scoreless innings and a strikeout, setting down all six batters he faced.
Next up for the Gusties is the Tucson Invitational where a four-game slate against Concordia Wisconsin awaits them before two game sets against La Verne and Aurora.
