MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Carleton College baseball team eased to a 10-1 victory on the back of a
Ryan Kessner complete game in the opener but fell 11-7 to Concordia College-Moorhead in the nightcap despite out-hitting the Cobbers.
Game One – Carleton 10, Concordia 1
A first-inning error came around to score for Concordia (12-18, 6-10 MIAC), but the Knights (9-21, 6-10 MIAC) took the lead in the second with a three-run frame.
Andrew Sellers started off a productive day with an RBI single, and
Nathan Barnhart made it 3-1 with an RBI knock over the second base bag.
Kessner allowed just two hits after that opening-inning concession, but Concordia starter Brayden Wolfgram was able to keep Carleton from adding on through the sixth inning.
The Knights were finally able to get insurance in the seventh when
Sam Gossard tripled in a pair of runs,
Sam Chutkow knocked in Gossard with a single,
Brandon Damelin singled to score one, and
Tyler Vandersall powered his second homer of the season, this one a three-run shot to left. Carleton brought around seven runs on seven hits in the inning, and Kessner tossed a scoreless bottom of the seventh to complete the triumph.
Kessner got the victory to move to 3-2 on the year, throwing all 7.0 innings while allowing just four hits, one walk, and one unearned run. The rookie righty struck out a career-high eight batters in his outing.
Barnhart went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run, and two RBI. Chutkow notched two hits and drove in a run.
Ryan Chang was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Damelin was 3-for-3 with a walk, a run, and an RBI. Sellers finished 3-for-4 and scored twice.
Game Two – Concordia 11, Carleton 7
The Knights struck first in the latter half of the twin bill, as Barnhart, Gossard, and Chutkow singled in succession to open the first. Barnhart and Gossard touched home on Chutkow's single, and Chang plated Chutkow with a sacrifice fly. Gossard smacked a double to center in the second to bring in a pair and stake Carleton to a 5-0 advantage.
The Cobbers reeled back two runs in the second with the help of a walk, a HBP, and a wild pitch before stringing together three hits in the third to make the score 5-3. Concordia recaptured the lead in the sixth after a bases-loaded walk, a bases-clearing double from Tanner Nowacki, and a two-run homer from Matt Contreras. The hosts totaled six runs in the sixth to garner a 9-5 lead.
Adam Rubin halved the deficit with a two-run shot down the left field line in the seventh, but the Cobbers responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Reliever Wyatt Mohr closed out the game for Concordia with two scoreless innings.
Barnhart had another two-hit game, scoring once. Chutkow finished the second contest 2-for-5 with a run and three driven in.
Will Schnepf went 2-for-4 with a walk, double, and run. Rubin posted a 'deuces wild' line, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored, and two RBI. The rookie also popped his second career home run.
Xander Stolberg got the start and allowed three runs across 3.0 innings. The righty struck out a pair.
Dan Avillo fanned three batters in 0.2 relief innings, with one of them reaching on a wild pitch. Chutkow pitched the final 2.0 innings, conceding two runs but striking out four.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton returns home and contests a single non-conference game with the University of Wisconsin-Superior Sunday, Apr. 26. The contest is slated for 12:00 p.m. at Mel Taube Field.
