ST. PAUL, Minn. – The bats awoke from their recent slumber as the Carleton College baseball slugged its way to a sweep of host Macalester College. After scoring only on run in a mid-week doubleheader at St. Thomas, the Knights scored 29 runs on 32 hits in 14 innings of play on Saturday.
Carleton (4-15, 2-15 MIAC) came from behind to capture the opener 8-4 and pulled away early to take game two by a 21-9 tally.
"It was a beautiful day to be on the diamond, and it was great to see the hard work and perseverance pay off for the guys," said Carleton head coach
Aaron Rushing. "The team has stayed positive and continued to work hard through a rough start to the season. It was great to finally put together an all-around effort today and end up on the right side of the scoreboard. It was especially great to see what we're capable of offensively with everyone contributing."
GAME 1 RECAP
The 21 runs were the most scored by the Knights since plating 21 against Colby College on March 22, 2016.
Eight of the nine Carleton starters had hits, including six that turned in multi-hit performances. That was enough to back
Kiefer Lord (Fy./Atherton, Calif./Menlo School), who struck out seven in tossing his third complete game of the season and notching his first collegiate victory.
Travis Brown (Sr./St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville),
Jacob Small (Jr./Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley),
Paul Hinton (Jr./Omaha, Neb./Millard West),
Cayten Gardner (Jr./Claremont, Calif./Claremont),
Aaron Berkowitz (So./Leawood, Kan./Pembroke Hill School), and
Sam Schur (Jr./Calabasas, Calif./Viewpoint) each had two hits for the Knights.
Carleton scored twice in the top of the first only to see Macalester (6-16, 6-16 MIAC) plate one in the bottom of the inning and two more in the third frame.
Luke Mager (So./Berkeley, Calif./Berkeley), Gardner, and Small had doubles during a four-run fifth inning that pushed the Knights ahead for good. While the Scots got a run back in the bottom of the frame, Carleton tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the seventh.
GAME 2 RECAP
Jacob Smith (Jr./McKinleyville, Calif./McKinleyville) was the lone game one starter without a hit, but he made up for it in game two with a 3-for-4 performance that included three runs scored and three RBI. His bases-loaded triple capped a six-run second inning that set the tone early.
Macalester answered with three runs in the home half of the inning, including the first of two home runs by Joe Margolis.
After a scoreless third inning, the Knights scored three more times in the fourth. Small singled, Smith doubled, and Hinton brought them both home with a single up the middle. After Hinton swiped second, he raced around on Gardner's single to left field.
The fifth inning saw Hinton double home another run, and Carleton got run-scoring hits from
James Sassi (Jr./Stamford, Conn./Brunswick School) and Brown in the sixth inning.
Leading 13-5 heading into the seventh inning, the first eight Knights reached base in what became an eight-run rally, the team's biggest single-inning scoring output of the season. Mager singled home the first two runs, Berkowitz doubled home a pair, and Sassi singled home another. A wild pitch, a pinch-hit single by
Jonathan Singleton (So./San Martin, Calif./Live Oak), and an error brought home the final three runs of the inning.
Macalester managed to score four times—three of the runs were unearned—in the seventh but it was not enough to prevent the 10-run rule from ending the game.
Blake Anderson (Sr./Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria) earned his first victory of the season as he struck out five over 6.2 innings.
Hinton (3-for-4, four RBI) joined Smith in collecting three hits in the contest. Small was 2-for-3 with four runs scored, while Gardner went 2-for-2 with two walks, a hit by pitch and three runs scored. Brown and Sassi both contributed a 2-for-4 days at the dish with 2 RBI apiece.
Margolis was 4-for-4 with two solo home runs in the losing effort.
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS
Carleton hosts Macalester on Sunday, May 2 to wrap up their three-game weekend series. The start time has been moved up to 10:00 a.m. due to rain in the afternoon forecast.
