SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus baseball team swept Crown College in a non-conference doubleheader Friday, winning 8-1 in game one before a convincing 19-2 victory in game two. The Gusties combined for 28 hits, including six doubles, five triples, and a home run, while the pitching staff collected 22 strikeouts in 14 innings.
Gustavus 8, Crown 1 | BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY
After a scoreless first inning, Crown took the first lead of the game with a run in the second off three hits, but Gustie starting pitcher Christian Johnson (Sr., Buffalo) worked out of the jam and left the bases full. Gustavus would answer in the third as Jake Christenson (Sr., Cannon Falls) led off with a double and scored on a triple by Bryce Novak (So., Cleveland). Novak then scored on a groundout by Jack Hanson (Jr., Minnetonka) for a 2-1 lead.
The Gusties broke the game open in the sixth, scoring six runs on four hits and two Crown errors. Christenson provided the big blow with a bases-loaded triple.
Gavyn Walsh (Sr., Andover) picked up the win, tossing three innings of relief. He allowed just one hit against 10 batters with two strikeouts and two walks. Novak paced the offense, batting 3-for-4 with a run and RBI. Christenson went 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBI, a double, and a triple. Nick Azar (Jr., Edina) batted 2-for-3 with a run and two doubles.
Gustavus 19, Crown 2 | BOX SCORE
Novak led game two off with a triple and scored on a grounder by Hanson, setting the tone for an offensive outburst throughout the game. The Gusties added a run in the third as Christenson singled, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a single by Novak, and then scored on an error by the right fielder.
Gustavus blew the game wide open in the fourth, scoring 11 runs on seven hits and an error. Luke Johnson (So., Paynesville) delivered a three-run triple in his first career at-bat. Dalton Thelen (Jr., Cold Spring) added a two-run double, backed by a two-run single by Kathan Decker (So., Apple Valley).
Crown scored its two runs in the fifth after a single, error, and wild pitch, but that would be it for the visitors. The Gusties added three more runs in the fifth and another trio of runs in the sixth for the decisive victory.
Weston Lombard (Sr., Stillwater) earned the mound victory after going four innings, allowing three hits, no runs, and striking out nine batters. Thelen (3-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B) and Decker (3-3, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2B, BB) led the offense.
Gustavus next hosts Augsburg for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. March 19.