MANKATO, Minn. – The St. Scholastica baseball team took game one of the opening three-game Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) series against Bethany Lutheran College on Friday, winning 6-2.
The Saints put pressure on the Vikings in the top of the first landing runners on second and third with one out. However, BLC got out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts. CSS also stranded runners 90 feet away from scoring in the third and fourth innings.
A one-out error would cost the Saints in the bottom of the fourth. Adam Geiger reached on the error and then advanced to second. He later scored on a fielder's choice to give the Vikings a 1-0 advantage.
Both teams left runners at third in the fifth inning and the Saints finally broke through in the sixth, thanks to Viking miscues.
CSS had runners at the corners with one out, following a BLC error and Andy Schwantes would drive in Tom Juberian on a sacrifice fly to tie the game 1-1. Another Bethany Lutheran error prolonged the inning and Kyle Flagstad made the Vikings pay with a two-run triple to make it 3-1. Kyle Jensen drove in Flagstad with a single to make the score 4-1 CSS.
The Saints added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth with RBI singles from Jake Casareto and Parker Olson. BLC also tacked on a run in the bottom of the ninth to make the final score 6-2 St. Scholastica.
Michael Swenson got the start on the mound for the Saints and scattered four hits and did not allow an earned run in six innings of action. Mickie Keuning picked up the three-inning save, his first as a collegiate. Aaron Siefken received the loss for the Vikings.
David Vogelgesang was 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Flagstad had a pair of hits with two runs batted in. Jensen also had a pair of hits for the Saints. The win brings the Saints above .500 for the first time this season.
The Saints (9-8, 1-0 UMAC) and Vikings (7-11, 0-1 UMAC) will wrap up their three-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at noon.