NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College baseball team out-hit visiting Saint John's University 9 to 6, but the Knights pitching staff struggled with control issues in two innings that resulted in a 12-2 (7 inn.) loss at Mel Taube Field.
 
Saint John's (20-8, 10-7 MIAC) plated five runs in the top of the first despite only having two hits in the inning. The Johnnies earned five walks and a hit batter in the inning.
 
Carleton (2-13, 0-13 MIAC) closed the gap with single tallies in the second and sixth innings, but the visitors put together another outburst in the seventh inning. Saint John's again managed only two hits in that frame, but when those safeties were combined with two walks, two hit batters, and an error, it led to a seven-run rally to concluded the scoring.
 
Overall, Carleton pitchers issued nine walks and hit three batters.
 
With Carleton already trailing 5-0, relief pitcher Braden Sebesta (So./Spring, Texas/John Cooper School) was summoned from the pen in the first inning and contributed a career-best 5.1 scoreless frames of two-hit ball.
 
Paul Hinton (Jr./Omaha, Neb./Millard West) tripled and scored on a Luke Mager (So./Berkeley, Calif./Berkeley) single for Carleton's first run of the game. Jacob Smith (Jr./McKinleyville, Calif./McKinleyville) doubled to begin the bottom of the sixth and scored on Hinton's grounder in the sixth.
 
Jacob Small (Jr./Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley) and Luke Mager (So./Berkeley, Calif./Berkeley) had two-hit performances to lead the Knights, who left the bases loaded in the third and sixth innings.
 
Saint John's designated hitter Max Nyrop hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning and finished with a game-high four RBI.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS
Carleton hits the road for a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader at the University of St. Thomas on Tuesday, April 27.