For the 14th time in the 16-year history of the MIAC Baseball playoffs, St. Thomas has advanced to the final two. The fourth-seed Tommies had six players with multi-hit games in Saturday's 12-6 winners bracket victory over Concordia-Moorhead.
Concordia (26-10) had won eight of its last nine games coming in. But the Cobbers left 11 runners on base and hit into two double plays.
Concordia plays a 6 p.m. elimination game against St. John's for the right to play the Tommies on Sunday in one or two games that will decide the winner and automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs.
Although the Tommies' 12-year string as regular-season champions ended with a fourth-place finish this spring, St. Thomas is looking to add to its collection of 10 playoff crowns in the first 15 years of the event.
The Tommies scored just three runs in 16 innings in two April losses to the Cobbers in Moorhead but reversed that Saturday with scoring in five of their nine innings.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning on a double steal of second and home, Zach Gottfredsen's two-run homer put UST ahead 2-1 in the second. UST added four more runs in the third inning to go ahead 6-1 on three singles, a walk and Dan Ziemann's two-run double to the corner in right.
After the Cobbers pulled within 7-5 through seven innings, St. Thomas plated four more runs in the eighth inning. Ryan Gerber had his second RBI single of the game. UST also scored on an obstruction ruling during a rundown between third and home. Three Cobber errors in that frame contributed.
UST starter Colin Wendinger had his longest stint of the season for St. Thomas and he allowed just three earned runs in 6 1-3 innings. Wendinger, who threw five strong innings to close out a May 1 win over No. 11-ranked Wartburg, was making his first start in four weeks. He struck out four and survived six hits and six walks.
Devin Johnson went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and Nick Bornhauser had a two-run homer for the Cobbers.