SAINT PAUL, Minn. – No. 24 Gustavus baseball concluded its non-conference schedule Wednesday evening with a doubleheader split at Northwestern-St. Paul. The Gusties won game one 1-0 before falling 3-2 in the night cap. Gustavus, ranked No. 2 in the Midwest Region, moves to 24-4 overall, while Northwestern, ranked No. 5 in the region, moves to 29-9.
Gustavus 1, Northwestern 0 | BOX SCORE
Jayce Luna (So., Le Sueur) got his first career start on the mound and made the most of the opportunity, tossing six shutout innings to earn the win. Luna did not allow a hit until the fifth inning, which was the only hit he allowed, finishing with seven strikeouts and one walk against 20 batters.
The Gusties scored the only run of the game in the fourth as Bryce Novak (So., Cleveland) and Jack Hanson (Jr., Minnetonka) hit back-to-back doubles. Those were the only two hits of the game for the Gusties.
Damon Rademacher (Sr., Princeton) came in for the seventh inning and earned the save, his third of the season, allowing one hit but striking out the side.
Gustavus 2, Northwestern 3 | BOX SCORE
Adam Biewen (Fy., Golden Valley) made his second start of the season and was perfect in his first trip through the Eagles lineup before giving up the first hit to the leadoff batter in the fourth. The runner advanced to third after a sac bunt and a balk, but Biewen got out of the jam with a lineout and a strikeout.
The Eagles broke the scoreless tie in the fifth with an RBI double, sac fly, and a run-scoring wild pitch, taking a 3-0 advantage. Gustavus got one run back in the sixth as Hanson led off with his team-leading seventh home run of the season. Hanson’s seven home runs are the most in a season by a Gustie since Tony Konicek hit 10 in 2007.
Jack Garrison (Jr., Chanhassen) kept the game in reach with a three-up-three-down sixth, striking out two. In the top of the seventh, Logan Bjorkman (So., Lindstrom) cut the deficit in half with a one-out homer, the first of his career. Patrick Timmer (So., Lakeville), representing the tying run, walked in the following plate appearance, but was stranded at first after a strikeout and line out to end the game.
Bjorkman led the team at the plate, batting 2-for-3 with the solo home run. Biewen suffered the loss after four and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on four hits with seven strikeouts.
Although the upcoming three-game series is not considered the postseason, Gustavus now enters playoff mode against Carleton on Friday and Saturday with a spot in the MIAC tournament on the line. The Gusties travel to Carleton Friday for a 4 p.m. nine-inning game, followed by a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m. The winner advances to the six-team MIAC playoff.