WINONA, Minn. —
Tyler Lursen (Maple Grove, Minn.) managed just two hits in the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota baseball team's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Saint John's.
But what a pair of hits they were.
Lursen launched a three-run home run in his first at-bat, before adding a grand slam home run in his final plate appearance against the Johnnies.
Unfortunately, Lursen's two-home run, seven-RBI effort could only earn the Cardinals a split in their two games against the Johnnies.
Fueled by Lursen's first home run of the day, Saint Mary's rode a four-run first-inning to a 5-2 victory in the opener. Lursen completed his first collegiate two-home run game—with his first collegiate grand slam—as part of a five-run ninth inning in the nightcap, but it was not enough, as Saint John's held on for an 8-6 Game 2 win to earn the split.
Saint Mary's would score all the runs it would need in the Cardinals' first at-bat in the opener, as
Ben Buerkle (Roseville, Minn.) laced an RBI single and, after an infield single by
Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.), Lursen uncorked his first HR of the season for a 4-0 lead.
The two teams traded second-inning runs and SJU plated its second run in the top of the third—and with Saint Mary's ace
Steph Scatassa (Westchester, Ill.) on the mound, two runs was all the Johnnies were going to get.
Scatassa limited the Johnnies to just two runs on two hits through the game's first six innings, with
Nathan Mathwig (Woodbury, Minn.) working a perfect seventh for his fourth save of the season.
Willie Doll (Amherst, Wis.) went 3-for-3 with two doubles—in his first two at-bats—and two runs scored, while Kinne finished with two hits to pace the Cardinals' 10-hit attack.
The Johnnies took a page out of the Cardinals' playbook in Game 2, scoring twice in the first inning—both coming on a Patrick Strey home run—and added three runs in both the fourth and eighth innings to grab what appeared to be a commanding 8-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
Saint Mary's kicked off its final at-bat with back-to-back singles by
Cale Pieczynski (Plover, Minn.) and Buerkle, while a walk to Kinne loaded the bases. Lursen quickly unloaded the bases with a bomb to left, cutting the Cardinal deficit to 8-5.
And Saint Mary's wasn't finished.
A.J. Redders (Middleton, Wis.) singled up the middle, and
Jacob Taschetta (Winfield, Ill.)—pinch-running for Redders—moved to second on a two-out wild pitch and scored on a
Joe Seegers (Oconomowoc, Wis.) single to make it 8-6. Doll was hit by a pitch, putting the tying run on base, but SJU reliever Cameron Jurek got Pieczynski to ground out to end the threat.
Seegers went 2-for-3 to pace the Cardinals' eight-hit Game 2 attack, while Saint Mary's other six hits came from six different players.
The Cardinals (2-4 MIAC, 14-10 overall) hit the road on Tuesday, traveling to CHS Field in St. Paul, Minn., for a 2:30 p.m. conference doubleheader against Hamline.
