COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Home runs by
Ryan Chang,
Will Schnepf, and
Steve Antrim were among the many offensive highlights for the Carleton College baseball team, but it was not enough as the Knights dropped a pair of game at Saint John's University. The teams combined for 50 runs over 15 innings of play as the hosts prevailed by scores of 13-8 and 20-9 (8 inn.)
Game 1
After falling behind 1-0, the Knights (7-14, 4-4 MIAC) erupted for five runs in the top of the third inning thanks to a RBI single from Schnepf, a two-run single for Chang, and a two-run double by Antrim.
After getting a run back in the bottom half of the third, the Johnnies (15-8, 6-2 MIAC) put together their own five-run rally in the next frame. Saint John's followed its fourth-inning outburst with a damaging fifth inning as well, piling on four more runs to take an 11-5 lead, the last three runs coming via Owen Dauk's two-out home run. The Johnnies tacked on two more two-out runs in the bottom of the sixth.
The Knights cut into the deficit in the top of the seventh as Chang took a trip around the base paths with a three-run shot to make it a 13-8 ballgame. This was his fifth career roundtripper and his third long ball over the last five games.
Chang's bat was again a bright spot for the Knights, as he finished the opener 3-for-4 with five RBI. Antrim was also 3-for-4 and had two RBI of his own.
All three pitchers used by the Knights were solved for multiple runs.
Ananth Iyer absorbed the loss after giving up seven runs over his 3.1 inning outing.
Connor Hartley pitched a complete game for Saint John's and was awarded the win despite yielding eight runs on 11 hits.
Game 2
Saint John's scored three runs in the first inning and another trio of tallies in the second. Five of those six runs came with two out, including a three-run home run to left center by Joe Becker.
With two outs in the third, the Knights exploded for five runs to put them back in the contest.
Sam Gossard got the scoring started, driving in
Nathan Barnhart and
Aaron Rice with a double to right field. Chang followed with a single to score Gossard. Schnepf then doubled, and Iyer added an RBI single.
A
Sam Zacks' sacrifice fly in the fourth tied the game at 6-6.
The Johnnies answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, but Schnepf and Antrim ripped solo shots to trim the Saint John's advantage to 9-8 midway through the fifth inning. This was Schnepf's third home run of the season and his career, while Antrim went deep for the first time this year and the fourth time in his career.
The Johnnies then mustered up a run in their half of the fifth with a two-out ground-rule double before adding three more runs during the sixth to build a 13-8 lead.
Rice's two-out double in the seventh brought home Iyer. A single from Barnhart then put runners on the corners, but Zacks' line drive was intercepted by the leaping shortstop, halting the Knights' from slicing in the deficit further.
The Johnnies distanced themselves in the bottom of the seventh, piling on three more runs, all with two outs. Saint John's then loaded the bases with none out in the eighth before Becker catapulted a no-doubter over the center field fence, clearing the bases and ending the game early. It was Becker's second home run of the game and third dinger of the afternoon. He totaled nine RBI in the contest.
Gossard, Chang, Schepf, and Barnhart each had two hits for Carleton.
Sam Chutkow took the loss after yielding nine runs on nine hits and a walk over 4.0 innings.
Reliever Wyatt Rudolph notched the win for the Johnnies despite permitting two runs over 2.0 frames.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton comes home to host Macalester College on Monday, April 15. First pitch in the opener is slated for 2:30 p.m.
