Over the past two weeks, the Gustavus baseball team managed a 3-3 record, splitting a series with St. John’s, losing two to St. Mary’s and then going on to sweep Carleton in two games.
In a series against St. John’s on the 11th, the Gusties bounced back from a 5-0 shutout loss in game one with a walk-off win in game two.
Despite a decent showing from the Gustie pitchers in game one, the team struggled generating offense, even though they owned a 6-4 advantage in hits over the Johnnies.
First-year Charlie Hutchinson made the start for the Gusties, allowing just two hits over 4⅓ innings of work.
St. John’s bats woke up quickly however, sending home five runs against the Gustie relievers in the fourth and fifth innings, sealing the win.
Junior Ryan Moriarty led the Gusties on offense, going 2-3 at the dish with a pair of singles.
Gustavus bounced back in game two besting St. John’s 2-1 in a nine-inning pitchers duel.
Junior Sam Archer started the game on the mound and pitched four innings, allowing only one run on five hits.
Senior Casey Lewandowski took home the win, striking out two of the three batters he faced in the 9th.
“The first game obviously didn’t go as planned, but I’m proud of the way the guys battled back in the second game to bring the series to a split. It definitely helps us as a team to get a win like that, it shows what were capable of,” Junior Matt Berkner said.
The late-game heroics came off the bat of First-year Nathan Lindberg, whose single in the ninth scored Senior Nolan Lepel and won the game for Gustavus.
“To beat a team that is towards the top of our conference and getting a walk-off win over those guys was big and hopefully it will help us make a playoff push in the last few weeks of the season” Archer said.
Following the cancellation of their series at St. Thomas, Gustavus moved on to face St. Mary’s where they lost both games 3-2 and 15-6, respectively.
“Yeah it was tough. We have a lot of young guys that are going to contribute this year and I think it was a learning experience for us going forward,” Archer said.
In a back and forth game one, the Gusties managed to keep it close, pulling within one during the final frame, but could not complete the rally, losing 3-2.
Following an early run from St. Mary’s, First-year Cole Pengilly scored the first Gustie run single handed off of a single, eventually heading home on a wild throw to third.
The Gusties rallied in the final frame off of a solo shot from Ethan Mocchi, but could not catch up to the Cardinals, losing 3-2.
All six Gustie hits were spread out between six individuals in the loss
Despite an impressive offensive showing from the Black and Gold in game two, they could not keep pace with the high-scoring Cardinals, who tallied 15 against the Gustie pitching staff.
“We kind of came out flat, but I think in the long term it could be good for us. We’re young and we need to realize that we can’t afford to take games off,” Berkner said.
Of the 15 Gustavus hits, six came off the bats of Mocchi and First-year Carter Clemensen who also knocked in two while scoring twice as well.
More offense came from Moriarty, Lepel and the pinch-hitting Junior Grant Brockhouse who each registered two hits apiece.
The Gusties were at Collegeville on Sunday where they bounced back against Carleton, sweeping the Knights in two games 6-0 and 5-4, respectively.
Gustavus stymied the Carleton offense in game one, allowing only six runners on base.
Archer had a dominant showing for his third win of the season, pitching a complete game shutout while striking out two.
The Gustie offense was fueled by multi-hit games from Clemensen and Senior Brock Peterson, while Pengilly and Lepel both drove in two runs.
Gustavus doubled the Knights in the hits department, taking an 8-4 advantage in the win while also tallying four walks.
“I thought that these games we just kind of gelled and things were going right. Sam Archer came out and pitched super well the first game and that really set the tone for the rest of the day,” Berkner said.
Game two was a closer game, however, but Gustavus still emerged victorious with a 5-4 win.
Gustavus recorded four runs in the second frame off of a Lindberg single, a double from Berkner and a shot over the fence from Moriarty, the first of his career.
The final Gustie run came in the fifth off the bat of Lepel.
The Knights remained persistent into the final frame, tacking on three runs to put the game within one run.
However, Lewandowski would end the Carleton rally, recording the final out and earning the save.
First-year Gavyn Walsh took home the win after relieving fellow First-year Weston Lombard, who made his first career start on Sunday.
Gustavus now sits 11-10 overall and 3-3 in the MIAC and will look for continued success heading into the final few weeks of the season.
“We just need to keep pitching the ball well, keep hitting and stay consistent with the day-to-day process and doing the little things right will go a long way,” Archer said.