March 31, 2019

St. Thomas gets road sweep to open conference play

More news about: St. Thomas-Minn

Sophomore lefty Graham Laubscher allowed no earned runs in his first career nine-inning complete-game victory as Tommie Baseball scored a 3-1 win over Bethel to cap Sunday's road doubleheader sweep in conference play in Arden Hills.

St. Thomas won the opener 6-4, with sophomore transfer Andrew Tri getting his first save.

Ryan Lust, Dan Bollingberg and Kyle Halverson combined for 11 hits and seven RBI in the sweep for the Tommies (10-3 overall, 2-0 MIAC). Lust hit a two-run homer and drove in a last-inning insurance run in the opener. He scored an insurance run in the ninth inning of game two with a single, stolen base, a ground out, and Adam Krajewski's two-out single.

In game two, Laubscher (3-3 on his young career) spun a five-hitter and fanned six. He retired the final seven Bethel batters, including the last four looking at strike three. Bethel's lone run was unearned to tie the score 1-1 in the third inning. Outfielder Evan Kolker gunned down a runner at home to help the game stay tied in the third.

In the opener, senior lefty Henry DeCaster (3-0) started and worked 4.1 innings and got the win. Tri recorded the final eight outs and in the process stranded a total of five runners in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

St. Thomas opens its home season Wednesday with two MIAC games against Macalester.