SAINT PETER, Minn. - Gustavus baseball struggled to contain Bethany Lutheran's contact-heavy lineup, falling 5-15. However, there were still several encouraging takeaways from the game.
With the season nearing its end and only four regular-season games remaining, both teams competed with high intensity, even though the game was not officially a conference matchup.
A major storyline from the day was the first varsity start of
Cody Johnson (Rosemount, Minn) on the mound in his Gustavus baseball career. Despite the pressure of the moment, he opened the game on the mound, setting the tone early.
Gustavus responded offensively behind strong early at-bats. In the bottom of the first inning,
Brayden Kohls (Norwood, Minn.) singled, followed by a triple from Jackson Goldberg (Savage, Minn.). After Gustavus tied the game,
Simon James (Minnestrista, Min) added a sacrifice fly to give Gustavus a response against Bethany Lutheran's early scoring.
In the top of the second,
Owen Robinson (Minnetrista, Minn) came in to relieve
Cody Johnson and worked through the inning effectively to keep Gustavus within reach.
Offensively, Gustavus continued to battle throughout the game.
Brayden Kohls added another single,
Jackson Golberg (Savage, Minn) delivered a home run to left field, and
Simon James contributed another hit to keep the lineup active. While the game never developed into a high-scoring contest for Gustavus, the team finished with eight total hits. Jackson Goldberg also came close to completing the cycle, needing only a double.
On the pitching side, Gustavus allowed 12 hits and 15 runs, leading to a difficult result and highlighting areas that still need improvement.
With four games remaining, there is little time to dwell on this outcome. Instead, the team will look to use it as motivation moving forward and build toward a strong finish to the season.
Since the scheduled game against MSU was canceled, Gustavus will next play this Saturday at 1 p.m. in Winona, Minn against Saint Mary's.
