ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Carleton College baseball team registered a pair of comeback wins to earn a doubleheader sweep against Hamline University at CHS Field.
AJ Staff (Sr./Bainbridge Island, Wash./Bainbridge) went the distance for the 3-2 win in game one, and
Ryan Chang (Fy./Alameda, Calif./The College Preparatory School) collected five hits on the day, including three in the Knights' 12-5 victory in game two.
Game 1 Recap
Carleton 3, Hamline 2
Staff (2-4) turned in his arguably best performance of the season, limiting the Pipers (10-24, 6-10 MIAC) to two runs—only one earned—over 7.0 innings to get the victory. This was his second complete-game effort of the campaign.
Carleton (7-20, 3-13 MIAC) got on the scoreboard first when Chang tripled to start the second inning and waltzed home thanks to
Jack Hommeyer's (So./Bronxville, N.Y./Suffield Academy) single to right field.
The only times Hamline got a baserunner past second base came during the fourth inning, when the hosts scored both of their runs without getting the ball out of the infield thanks to three infield singles, a walk, and an error.
The score remained 2-1 in favor of Hamline until the top of the sixth. Chang singled and came home on
Will Schnepf's (Fy./Dallas, Texas/Parish Episcopal) double off the right-centerfield wall.
The Knights took advantage of two Piper miscues to plate the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Sam Chutkow (Fy./Needham, Mass./Needham) reached on a single, and
Steve Antrim (Jr./Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) followed with a bunt single to put runners on the corners.
Ananth Iyer (So./Redmond, Wash./Overlake) hit a drive into the right-center gap that was dropped for an error, and Chutkow scored easily to put Carleton in front, 3-2.
Staff surrendered a leadoff wind-blown double in the bottom of the seventh, but he got the next two batters to flyout before finishing the game with a strikeout.
Chang and Schnepf had two hits apiece to pace the Knights.
Game 2 Recap
Carleton 12, Hamline 5
The Knights trailed 3-0 and 5-4 but plated the last eight runs of the contest to complete the sweep.
The Pipers jumped on Carleton starter
Matthew Karbowski (Fy./Gilberts, Ill./Hampshire) for three runs in the bottom of the first, but his teammates immediately responded with three runs in the top of the second inning.
Aaron Rice (So./Evergreen, Colo./Colorado Academy) and Schnepf had RBI groundouts, and
Nathan Barnhart (Fy./Gig Harbor, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) followed with a RBI single to right field.
Karbowski settled in and held Hamline scoreless the next three innings.
Carleton moved in front 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning as Chutkow walked,
John Hurtubise (Fy./Marysville, Mich./Marysville) singled, and Chang's added an RBI grounder. The lead was short lived as Finn Melchior smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame to give the Pipers back the lead.
The momentum went right back to the Knights when Rice doubled to leadoff the top of the sixth inning and raced home on Schnepf's single to right field. Chutkow later added an RBI single of his own to give the Knights a 6-5 lead.
Carleton batted around during a three-run top of the seventh. Rice had a key two-run single, and
Sam Zacks (So./Glencoe, Ill./New Trier) drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the other run.
The Knights were not done with the bats, scoring three more times in the eigith.
Jordan Appelbaum (So./Calabasas, Calif./Chaminade College Prep) had a two-out, pinch-hit double and later raced home on Schnept's groundball.
Karbowski tossed a career-high 6.0 innings while registering his first career victory. Iyer worked 3.0 scoreless frames of relief for his second save.
Chang and Hurtubise had three hits each to lead Carleton, with Chutkow and Rice also contributing multi-hit efforts. The bottom third of the Knights' order went a combined 4-for-11 with four walks and seven RBI.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton faces cross-town rival St. Olaf College on Tuesday, May 2. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m.
