Teddy Kaste-
Gustavus Baseball busted out the brooms this past Friday, securing two wins over MIAC rivals Carleton College. It was raining runs for the Gusties as they won the first game 13-3, and the second game 17-7, and yes, this is baseball, not football! In addition to their victories, Gustie outfielder and Sophomore Danny Gavin was named MIAC athlete of the week for his part in the victories, which included a 3-4 performance with 3 RBIS in the first game and a perfect 4-4 second game.
Gavin set the tone early with a lead-off home run to get the Gusties going in the first game. Senior Luke Siegel on the mound had a tough outing, hitting 3 batters, walking another, and gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning. Junior Michael Prosch came in relief for Siegel and did a great job, pitching for 3.1 innings to earn his third win of the season.
The Gustie bats got scorching hot in the third inning of the game in which they put up an astounding 10 runs on 8 hits. The Gusties absolutely lit up the Carleton pitching staff in the third, putting the game almost completely out of reach early in the game. High-scoring games are exceedingly difficult for the team surrendering the runs in a doubleheader situation such as this one. This is because, due to the struggling pitchers, they are forced to go deep into their bullpen, which is what happened to Carleton on Friday.
The shelling continued into the 4th inning; the Gusties put up another 5 runs, highlighted by a 3 run double from Fifth-year Drake Siens. These 5 runs put Gustavus ahead 17-4, distancing themselves from the Carleton Knights.
The Knights fought valiantly to get the score back to 17-7, but it was purely academic at that point, as the Gusties had made their statement on their home field in Game 1. In a doubleheader situation, however, Carelton still had a chance to rectify their mistakes and defeat Gustavus in Game 2.
Gustavus played the role of dragon in Game 2, as they immediately slayed the Knights in the first inning. Senior Brady Schmitz turned in a classic “Holy Schmitz!” moment when he cranked a 3-run home run in the first inning to get the boys going. Fifth-year Chris Knowles joined the party with a 2-run home run of his own in the second inning. After 2 innings, the score was Gustavus: 7, Carelton: 0
Junior Joe Burns and then Siegel both smacked home runs in the second game, helping to drive the score up to 12-1. The Knights did not put their swords and shields away, however, and fought back to make it a 10-run game, but it was, again, merely academic as the Gusties won the game 13-3. Sophomore Benny Mcdonald was credited with the win after tossing 5 scoreless innings. Senior Hunter Sheehan and Junior Jacob Wecop both tossed an inning in relief on the road to the win.
Schmitz stated about his home run, “I mean you can’t even make it up anymore – it’s like Jordan in Game 6, I’ll be available for autographs later.” A gracious man giving time to his fans and giving back to the community in the form of autographs; a true role model for the kids to look up to.
The Gusties were excited to be able to get some revenge on the Knights this time around, as the previous year’s matchup they were tragically defeated twice on their home field. The Gusties sweeping the team they lost to prior –and sweeping so dominantly– shows the progression and improvements the team has made from the previous season to now. Gustavus Baseball, with a high octane offense, a competent and healthy pitching staff, and high level coaching by way of Manager Brad Baker, has a chance to make some serious noise on the national level.
The Gusties travel up to Collegeville Saturday to take on the Johnnies, which will be a step up in competition. The bats are hot for this Gustie team, and they will look to continue their momentum as this season progresses.